Cerulean Star
by jshai
Summary: As the human member of the Volturi, Bella is sent to live with her biological father in Forks. What happens when she meets the Cullens? And how will her relationship with the Volturi effect her love for Edward? Partially follows Twilight thru Eclipse.
1. Prolouge

I took a moment to appraise my surroundings. It was by far the most beautiful place I'd ever been and I knew I never wanted to leave. It was a perfect circle of lush grass, surrounded by tall oak trees that threatened the sun if it tried to break through. Violets and other beautiful flowers dusted the green carpet throughout, in a seemingly pattern. The moss covered the bark of the trees and I was surrounded by green. Though there were guard blocks against it, the sun poked through the leaves where they were intermittent, and rays from the warm sun made my skin glitter.

Now I knew it was a dream. There was no way my skin would glitter, I wasn't a vampire. And being in this dream explained why I was in a place I had never been.

Though knowing that this was a dream did not change the fact that I never wanted to leave. I could feel the soft grass that tickled against my feet, and the smell that often accompanied a fresh spring rain was in the air.

There was nowhere in Italy that was as beautiful and secluded as here. I needed to be here, wherever here was.

**A/N: Okay I promised for Friday this would be up, but unfortunately I had no idea that the internet would be down at my place this entire weekend. I'm not Alice!!! So here is the prologue and chapter 1 is soon to follow in a few minutes. Hope you enjoy this story!**

**Jshai  
**


	2. Chapter 1: Anything For You

Chapter 1

I wanted to hold onto my dream. Just wrap it up and let it linger on my brain. I turned over in my bed refusing to open my eyes, I just wanted to see the meadow again. But as it was slipping away from me, I came to a dreaded realization. It was today. I hated today, of all days of the year. Today was my seventeenth birthday, and I knew for a fact, that the vampires I lived with were planning a surprise party for me. I could hear the clock that stood in the Palazzo dei Priori, ten o' clock. My vampires let me sleep in. How thoughtful they could be.

I got out of my bed begrudgingly, and headed towards the bathroom for what I called a human moment. I lived with fifteen vampires, not including the ones that stay periodically in the castle from time to time. The fifteen that I speak of, the Volturi, are not only the permanent fixtures in Volterra; but they are also the peace-keeping, rulers of all of the vampires.

And I loved them all dearly, but I was annoyed that they would not respect my wishes about a birthday party. Year after year, they insisted on throwing me a party every year. No one was ever sure of my exact date of birth, but they knew the date that I was first brought to the castle. September 17th.

I let the hot water from the shower spray against my body as I recounted the story that my family tell me every year.

Now seventeen years ago, Heidi, the gorgeous vampire with the ridiculously long legs and mahogany hair, went on a fishing expedition. At least that was the way I described her task of finding humans and bringing them back to the castle for my family to eat. Unfortunately, for one of the females that followed Heidi, she was carrying me, well more like concealing. Heidi promises me every time the story is told, that she usually skips over people who are caring for infants, but since there is nothing I could do about it now, I always forgive her.

Aro drained the poor girl that day and was about to have one of the guards clean up the mess when he noticed that his victim had a death grip on something under her shawl. When he peeled the fabric back, he saw me, a tiny baby of only a few weeks. He intended on throwing me to one of the guards as dessert, I always shuddered when he spoke of that, when he decided against it. He gave me to his human secretary, Gillina, to be cared for. It was only until I was ten that he told me the reason why he decided to keep me.

Gillina did her best at raising me on her own. She worked and lived in the castle separately from the vampires. While she was working, she had a crib placed beside her desk so that she could watch over me. As I began to grow out of the crib, Gillina asked Aro if schooling and education for me was in the cards, or was the only reason I was being left alive was because of some sinister plan.

By then, the majority of the vampires, including Aro, had taken a liking to me, if not love. Aro never let me in on whether it was because of this love, or because of a dark plan that I was allowed to live, but I always suspected the latter.

It was only a few weeks after my ninth birthday, and I had just finished my Spanish lesson with Santiago. I was in my room with Gianna, the one I had grown up believing was my mother, when I decided to voice my concerns about our extended family.

"Mommy? How come Uncle Aro and everyone else, don't get any older?" It was something that I had begun to notice on a regular basis. I first noticed it in Jane and Alec, my cousins as I was led to believe. They always stayed the same height, and their features never changed. Of course, I was accustomed to their red eyes, mommy just explained it was because of a hereditary disease that the majority of the people in her family had, that seemed to skip over the two of us. But when I noticed that the two youngest weren't getting older, I began to pay attention to the rest of my family. Everyone, except for mommy and me, were the same as they were as long as I could remember.

"Hush. That's something we can't speak out loud about." And that was all that she would tell me.

Unfortunately, four days before my tenth birthday, Uncle Aro finally decided Gillina's fate was decided. She contracted the same disease as my family. I could hear her screaming as she writhed in pain, calling out to me. I tried running to her, but my oldest cousins, Demetri and Felix were tasked with babysitting me. They swear to this day that they didn't mind, but I knew it was all to keep me from busting the door to get to my mom. A distraction.

Finally after three days, Uncle Aro lifted the quarantine from my mother, but that I had to be held by Demetri at all times. I didn't mind, Demetri was a bear to me and he carried me as if I was falling asleep in his arms.

"Mama?" I remember calling to her when I saw her around the doorpost. I tried squirming from Demetri's powerful grip, but it was no use.

"Remember Aro's warning Mon Cheri." He relaxed me in his arms, and I tried my best to obey.

Seeing my mother looking around as if she'd never been there before, was confusing. And when she saw me for that first time, I saw how much the "disease" had consumed her. No wonder she was crying out in pain, but at the same time she was the most beautiful that I had ever seen her. There was no fat on her body, not that she ever had any to begin with, but she looked even more sleek and toned, if that was possible. But the most notable difference was her eyes, they were ruby red.

Being that I was comfortable with red eyes, I'd seen them all of my life, I was shocked that I was uncomfortable with my mother having them suddenly. I missed her warm green eyes. I held out my hand, slowly, reaching out to touch the smooth skin of Gillina. She smiled as my hand inched closer, never taking her eyes away from mine.

Then in slow-motion, everything happened at once. I looked back at the door, Aro was rushing his way over to our position. But even in the appearance of events moving slowly, I could register that Uncle Aro was moving faster than anyone I had ever seen.

I felt my hand graze something sharp as my arm was being yanked away from its encroaching destination of my mother's cheek. I turned my head back only to realize that it was Demetri that yanked my arm down. But that wasn't the only thing going down. I felt Demetri's body turning, repositioning itself so that as we were falling to the ground, he would hit the marble floor first and at the same time protecting me from above us.

Looking above, my mother was clawing to get to me, but Felix and Aro were pushing her out the side door that lead outside. There was suddenly a ringing in my ears that was persistent to never end. I fought to release my arms from Demetri's death grip and brought my hands to my ears. The piercing sound continued, louder it seemed, before I realized the noise was my screaming.

Was that really my mother? The only words that replayed itself in my thoughts. Demetri placed me on the floor, and I saw him fleeing out the door that Gillina was forced through. Uncle Marcus knelt beside me, and was cradled me in his arms, my eyes fluttering close. And then the pain began.

"There is some venom in her system. Heidi, please apprise Aro know of the situation." I heard her retreating footsteps leave the room.

"Marcus, are you seriously suggesting that we deal with two newborns at the same time? She's too young, we'll have to kill her." I recognized Uncle Caius' voice, never before had I heard such malice in his voice.

"No, I'm going to suck the venom out. It's the only thing I can think of." I could hear the sadness in his voice.

Uncle Caius started to protest again but he was too late. I felt something flowing out of me, and I looked over to my hand, where the pulling was, and saw Uncle Marcus sucking my blood.

Did I hit my head?

The cold water was now making me shiver, bringing me out of my thoughts. For a second, I considered turning the knob even hotter, just so I could tolerate the cold splashing even longer. My showers were the nicest distraction that I had in the morning. Especially this one.

I dried myself and walked over to the closet, daring myself to just go to the turret room wrapped in just the towel, surprising everyone that was waiting for me for my birthday. That would show them. I settled on wearing some jeans and a long-sleeved black t-shirt. Despite Heidi's misgivings, I choose to walk barefoot throughout the castle, and today was no different. I believed that walking barefoot helped ease most of my clumsiness. Any other time that I wore shoes, I was liable to trip over my own feet.

I quickly dried my long brown hair, letting it fall neatly around my shoulders and hurried to the party.

"Let's get this over with." I whispered as I pushed the massive doors that led from the antechamber into the turret room. Immediately, I saw my uncles sitting on their respective thrones: Aro dead center, Marcus on his right and Caius on his left. The guard was flanking them on the platform that held up the thrones.

Like always everyone seemed pleased.

"Ahh, dear Bella. Happy Birthday darling. Shall we sing to you now?" I shook my head in disbelief. Every year the set up was the same: a small ice cream cake that only I would eat, was on a small table in the middle of the room. Presents were placed strategically surrounding the table.

"No Uncle Aro, the singing is unnecessary. Thank you though." I've declined them singing to me for the past seven years. My ninth birthday was the last happy one that I had.

After that fateful incident, it was finally my birthday. My mother wasn't present for it, and everyone seemed on edge.

"You look down my dear." Aro posed to me after I had opened my presents. "Did you not get everything that you wanted?"

I looked up at him and knew that this would be my only moment that I would find out the truth. Uncle Aro had promised years before that he would always tell me the truth.

"What are you?" I asked sternly. My uncles told me then that I didn't look like a ten year old at that point. Once the question left my lips, I handled myself as if I had another ten years behind my current age.

Uncle Aro took me aside to his office, a place I'd never been before. He showed me his paintings that dated back to the years of his former life, the life before he became a vampire. I remember looking at him in shock, as he continued on with his history and the history of everyone in the palace.

He then told me of how I came to live in the castle, and how the woman I believed was my mother, wasn't but in fact his secretary. It wasn't that difficult to piece everything together, I had already had my suspicions, but vampires?

"Where did I come from then?" I asked in earnest. Did my actual mother's family know about me? Had they looked for me?

"Isabella, please understand. At the time of your mother's death, it was a different world, I was a different person, if you will. I did not care about who your mother was, she was my next meal after all. But Heidi looked for identification nonetheless, and found out her name was Renee Swan. She lived in Phoenix, Arizona; though there was paperwork that indicated that she had recently moved. That's all I know of her."

"Gillina gave you your mother's middle name, Marie, but wanted you to have an Italian name, but she adopted your last name for your benefit." I looked at my uncle, rather the vampire who pretended to be my uncle, and realized my entire life was a sham.

"And when you said that you would always tell me the truth, you were lying?" I asked him defiantly. He kept urging me to sit down, and I was so aggravated with him.

"No, we were planning on telling you, when you were much older. However, I knew, despite what Gillina and my brothers argued, I knew that if you were to ever ask me, I would tell you. You're a very smart girl Isabella and I've known you've questioned your surroundings before."

It took me several weeks to get over being stunned with the revelation. I finally came to accept that despite how I came to live here, I had a good life. I received an excellent education, one that my uncles boasted beat out anything that could have been paid for at the best private schools. Public schools were completely beneath my education level. Heidi took me shopping every season, so I had the best clothes, not that I wore them outside much. It wasn't that I wasn't allowed outside, it was just I preferred to be indoors with my books. I loved reading the classics, and unless I was doing my lessons with anyone of my vampire teachers, I was reading. Probably why I was so pale.

By the time came around for my eleventh birthday, and every birthday after that, I was reminded of the day that my life was turned upside down and thrown into a blender. There was nothing happy about that.

I opened my presents and thanked everyone for their thoughtful gifts. I was about to turn to Gianna, Uncle Aro's new human secretary and my only human friend, to ask her about our plans for the day, when Uncle Aro presented me with a small baby blue box. From my years of shopping with Heidi, I knew that the box meant Tiffany & Co.

I opened the box, and saw a key ring that had two blue and gold butterflies on it. Attached to it was a black key with a coat of arms with a horse. I knew it was to a car, but since I don't speak Car & Driver, I was a little confused.

"This is from all of us dear, it's a Ferrari." Aro's face was illuminated with a smile as recognition it my face. I may not be able to know cars by their emblems, but I knew that Ferrari's were the standard of racing cars.

It took me three minutes for me to hug everyone before I ran to through the tunnels to the garage. I laughed at the absurdity of them knowing that I wouldn't know which one would be mine. They turned down most of the lights, just enough so I could see where I was walking, and left the spotlight on above my car.

"It's a Ferrari 458 Italia. 0-60 in 2.9 seconds, the specs called for 3.3 but I made some modifications for you." I looked at Santiago's prideful smile. Not only was he my Spanish and Italian teacher but he was also the mechanic.

I carefully walked over to my car, though I still managed to trip into the Escalade that was parked along the side. It was midnight blue, and tinted windows. I opened the car and the fresh scent of new car and leather invaded my nostrils. The interior was blue and black, and I was in love.

"I knew you'd like it." Uncle Aro came up beside me while Gianna got into the passenger seat.

"Like it? I love it! This is great." The key slid into the ignition and I let the engine hum silently. I looked over to Gianna who was just excited as I was. Other than the major holidays, my birthday was one of the few days that she got off.

The drive was exhilarating. We roamed the countryside, but for the most part we stayed in Volterra. We returned back to the castle after three hours of shopping and eating insane amounts of food.

"Bella, may I see you a moment." I faintly heard Uncle Aro's voice call out to me as I struggled to get my bags to my room in one trip. I didn't have that many, only three, so struggling might have been the wrong word. But combined with my penchant to clumsiness, it really was a struggle.

I set my stuff outside of Aro's office, and entered the door. Uncle Aro was seated at his grand desk, very rarely have I seen him without his robe on, and when I did, I was astonished. Today was no exception. Aro was wearing a black suit, Armani, no doubt. His long black hair was pulled loosely behind him into a ponytail.

"Uncle? You called for me?"

"Yes, I have another present for you, but I wanted to speak with you first." He looked at me for acknowledgement and I nodded for him to continue.

"In the past you've expressed concerns about being a vampire. I must admit with your aversion to smelling blood, I've wondered if it would be best that you remain human. Me and your uncles have debated many times as to your mortality vs. immorality."

That was news to me, not that my uncles told me every conversation they've ever had. But usually if it concerned me, I was in formed at some point. Since this was didn't seem like a quick conversation, I sat down in one of his two desk chairs that faced his desk.

"I've come to think of you has my daughter throughout all of these years, and you've grown into a magnificent creature. You know that I would love for you to join our ranks, but alas it would not be possible unless you were a vampire."

"Uncle, may I ask you a question?" I paused long enough for Aro to nod for me to continue. "Seventeen years ago, why didn't you kill me?" It was question that I was always too afraid to ask because I wasn't sure I could handle the truth. And at the same time I saw the absurdity of worrying about my mortality while being one of two humans that lived with vampires.

"I'm afraid I cannot answer that question my dear. At least, not at this time. I grieve knowing that this is the first time that I've kept something from you when you've asked it of me. But I have my reasons. Please forgive me?"

"Of course, uncle."

Aro rose out of his chair and sat on the desk facing me. He moved so swiftly that I hadn't even noticed he moved until he was still. He reached over and brushed a few strands of hair from my face. I couldn't help but be warmed by the smile he had, despite the frostiness of his touch.

"If you wish, we may discuss this at another time. But please consider joining the family officially."

My family have asked me numerous of times if I wanted to become just like them. Even Gillina asked me a few times, it was like they shared a common knowledge. But I could never quite understand how anyone could choose to die and live forever. And for that reason, I always stalled

"Now I did say I have another present for you. Didn't I?" I felt my lips curl up in a small smile, even though I hated when everyone spent money on me.

Aro handed me a thin envelope, and I was curious as to what it could be. Aro was very careful, knowing my penchant for clumsiness, he handed me a letter opener, just in case. A paper cut could be devastating to a vampire.

I pulled a thin sheet of paper, and twirled it in my hands. Comprehension of what I was actually holding on to dawned on me and there was no way I could contain my excitement.

"Oh my gosh! Where am I going?" Flying around the world never ceased to amaze me. Aro would let me go with any one of my cousins to the ruins, and on safaris, and other magical places, and I fell in love with jetsetting around the world. Usually I flew with Demetri or Felix, my uncles trusted their strength to protect me. One time I went with Jane to Greece, but one of the boys was leering my way a little too much, and Jane got a little carried away with her gift. He was writhing around in pain and the doctors couldn't figure out why he was in so much pain.

Uncle Aro was not pleased, though she went unpunished since no one suspected any supernatural activity and also because she was protecting me. Still nonetheless, Jane was no longer allowed to escort me outside of the castle.

"Well, dear, you're going to Washington." I heard Aro whisper just loud enough for me to hear.

I was sure the confusion was obvious in my face. But I quickly resolved the issue.

"Washington D.C.? Oh my gosh! I can't wait, when do I leave? Just think of all of the museums they have. And if Heidi comes with me, she'll want to go shopping of course. How long will we be gone?"

I searched the ticket in my hand and realized I had it all wrong.

"Seattle, Washington?! Uncle, what could I learn from there?" I racked my brain for anything that I thought could be of consequence. I mean there was the space Needle and the Columbia Center, but I was never really interested in architecture. Though I suppose that Seattle's frequent rain cover would help out whoever my escort was. I could imagine that Seattle was a beautiful city, but it wasn't exactly somewhere I was used to visiting.

"Well actually Bella, I'm sending you to Forks, Washington. It's a small town a few hours away from Seattle. I thought it would be best if you went to an American high school for a change. Your education far exceeds anywhere in the world, but we've neglected your need for human companionship."

"You don't want me anymore?" It was something I always feared, and I was surprised that I lasted this long as a human. My life expectancy in a castle of vampires shouldn't have been as long as it was.

"Bella, you're being absurd. I only meant that one needs more than just one friend. And don't give me any bull about being friends with any of us here. We love you as our own, especially Jane, and she's not one easily swayed, especially with humans." Aro's reasoning was true. Under any other circumstance, any one of my family had plenty of opportunities to dispose of me, and they didn't.

"And this Podunk town called Forks, was the only town that had a high school?"

"Please try to be open-minded dear. I am choosing to let you go because for quite some time, I've wanted to give you something that I believe that you have wanted since you were young. You see, other than what we've been able to piece together, you've never had the opportunity to touch your past. In this "Podunk" town as you called it, I see the chance for you to do just that."

I looked at my uncle like he was crazy.

"Your father, Bella. Your father, lives in Forks, Washington."

Aro paused, letting the words sink in. I couldn't remember if I was sitting or not and the room started spinning.

"My father?"

"Yes, it seems he's restarted searching for you again. We've already orchestrated the reunion. If you wish not to go, we can cancel it if you like."

"No, no. I'll go. Of course I'll go. I get to live with my father? Oh my gosh, thank you so much uncle." I rushed to give him a hug, even though Aro was rare to show emotion. I'd often watched him and my other uncles run the council, always from afar, and I always noted how false his manners had been with vampires who had broken the law. He had a certain creepy politeness about him. However, with me, his emotions never seemed fake. I normally wasn't one to show my emotions either, but Aro was right, this was something I wanted for a long time.

"Okay, well you leave tomorrow. Heidi is already packing your stuff now. Arrangements have already been made for your car to arrive shortly after you begin your new life."

"Uncle, I don't think that is such a good idea. After all, there couldn't be too many Ferrari's being driven around in Forks. It would draw too much attention." As much as I loved driving the car this afternoon, it was way too flashy for my taste and this would give me a chance to find something that was much more downplayed.

"Perhaps you're right, but what would you drive over there? A Volvo?" I cracked a smile while my uncle chuckled at what I perceived as an inside joke that I wasn't in on.

"Is there a story? Why have I been gone?"

"You were found as a infant in an alley, by my wife. Because the system was so overcrowded and because we wanted kids, but couldn't, the authorities insisted we take you in. Because we came from such a prominent name, they had no problems with bypassing the typical paperwork. Ahh speaking of paperwork, Gianna has yours at her desk. They're all forged of course. Your name is Isabella Marie DiMarco. Afton does excellent work."

"But back to the story." Aro continued. "It was only recently for your seventeenth birthday that we told you that you were adopted and helped you find your parents. Well parent, though no one has to know that we know what really happened to your mother."

"Right, okay. That seems simple enough. Thank you for this uncle."

Aro stepped forward and gave me a kiss on my forehead. "Anything for you my dear. Anything."

**Ok, it's pretty long, and I hope I wasn't bumbling along in this chapter. I kind of just started to write and I wasn't paying too much attention to flow, so please let me know if there is anything that needs to be clarified or corrected. As I said before (in the Author's note from Crescent Moon) I will be posting one chapter every Monday for this story. This will allow me a chance to write uninterrupted for a week for this story and Crescent Moon. Make sure you buy your tickets for New Moon this week!! And don't forget to review. Pretty please with Edward on top! Oh boy that could be taken in so many different ways!! hahaha**

**Jshai  
**


	3. Chapter 2: Tell Me

Chapter 2

I slept most of the flight to Seattle. I had a connecting flight in New York, and was very grateful that I had to run to catch my next flight. I was meeting my biological father for the first time, and something major like that, made me completely anxious.

When I heard the pilot's voice over the PA system, announcing our descent into the airport, my nerves kicked in even more. My leg wouldn't stop jumping, and if I didn't know any better, the way I hopped from my seat, I would have thought I was a vampire.

I walked timidly through the terminal, clutching my carry-on with a death grip. As soon as I reached the end of the tunnel, I realized that I had no clue what my father looked like. My eyes swept the airport until I saw a man in a brown police uniform, holding a simple sign that said Swan.

The man noticed me briefly, but continued looking behind me. I looked back, wondering who he was expecting. I couldn't help but glance down at what I was wearing, suddenly self-conscience of my appearance. The designer clothes that Heidi constantly bout me were really going to stand out in Forks. It was then the realization hit me: No matter what I did or said, I was going to stand out in Forks.

"Umm, Chief Swan?" I couldn't even get the rest of my question out before I could see the resemblance. I was in awe of how much I could look like a man I had never seen a day before in my life. I'm not stupid, I know relativity has nothing to do with heredity, but if I had met this man in Italy I would have known instantly that we were related. Most notably, I had his chocolate brown eyes and hair.

"Isabella? My baby, is that you?" I was stunned when he pulled me into a tight embrace. It wasn't exactly the reunion that I had pictured in my head, but it was nice. Strange but nice.

"It's Bella, actually." I began to wonder how I was supposed to address him. Even in Volterra, I would never dream of just saying Aro, Marcus, or Caius; uncle always preceded their names when I needed to speak with them. Was this man expecting me to call him dad? Or could I get away with Charlie?

"Come on, let's get the rest of your things." I followed him to the baggage claim and pointed out the three suitcases that Heidi and Jane had packed for me. Of course I helped him and followed him to the parking lot, where he led me to his police cruiser.

I expected the ride to Forks to be excruciatingly painful, especially when my father explained that it was almost a four hour drive to Forks. He briefly asked me about my adoptive family in Italy, but soon all hope of a conversation fizzled. To me it would seem I had inherited his private mind along with the hair and the eyes.

"So listen, I have you registered for school tomorrow. And as a welcome back-slash-home present, I got you a new car. Well, it's actually a truck." I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him, and prayed that he didn't see that. I really was just upset that it seemed he would be another person in my life that just bought everything for me.

Though, I mentally slapped myself for being upset with Charlie. And besides, if Charlie picking me up in the cruiser-something I'm sure was frowned upon-was a sign, then I had a feeling that his idea of a gift was going to be much more downplayed than anything I had ever received from my family before.

"I hope you did not spend a lot of money for it. I had some money that I could have purchased a vehicle with."

"Nonsense, it's a dad's duty to buy his daughter's first car. And besides, I bought it off of a friend of mine's. It's a Chevy truck, red. I hope you'll like it."

"How old is it?" I asked. Charlie looked a little sheepish when describing the truck.

"Well, it has a new engine, and his son Jacob, worked on the transmission so it runs like new." I could see Charlie looking at me like he was guilty of something.

"But he bought it new? Well, one previous owner is not so bad I guess. But then again it is a free truck, though I would like to give you something for it sir."

"Actually, my friend bought the truck from someone else. So there are two previous owners. And, please don't be silly. I wouldn't have it any other way, Bella. I'm just glad you're home."

I nodded my head in silence. I still had no idea what to call him. Thankfully, the rest of the ride was spent in silence.

We pulled up to a house, considerably smaller than the castle I was used to. I knew there would be an adjustment period, but this seemed depressing enough.

"That right there is your truck. I'll let you take it out for a spin later. I want to show you around the house first. I have to get to work in a few. I'm sorry that I have to work on your first night baby."

"It's okay. I promise." He looked at me, trying to decide if I was really okay or if I was harboring any regrets on coming here. I gave him a quick smile, hoping it would reassure him. Still unsure of himself, he nodded and began the tour.

"I cleared some shelves for you in the bathroom." He said as we reached upstairs.

"There's only one bathroom?"

"Yeah, sorry. Over here is your bedroom. Mine is down the hall." He set my luggage against the door and kissed me on top of my head. "I gotta go kiddo. I'll see you in the morning."

I looked at the surroundings. One bathroom that I had to share with my father was definitely depressing. I'm not normally stuck on material things but I was used to my own bathroom that was the size of the second level. I unpacked my clothes and decided I would call Aro, maybe if Gianna wasn't busy, I could speak with her as well.

I was happy that Gianna picked up Aro's cell phone, but I knew that only meant that there was counsel going on. I knew the time difference meant that it was midnight in Volterra, but if there was a meeting, Aro always had someone wake Gianna up.

"Oh Bella! I'm so glad to hear from you. How was your flight? How do you like it so far? Tell me everything!"

I smiled at Gianna's million and one questions. She was severely disappointed that I didn't have much to tell her just yet, but I answered them as best as I could. We spoke for a good ten minutes before Gianna heard Aro summoning her.

"I'll let him know you made it in safely." Gianna hurried into the phone.

"Thanks, G. Oh and hey, I left the keys to my car in your desk, you can drive it whenever."

"Okay, great thanks! I miss you Bella."

I whispered that I missed her too, but she hung up before I could spit it out. I couldn't blame her, my uncles were really strict sometimes, especially towards the help. And unlike any other job in the world, if Gianna got fired, it was more than a paycheck she lost.

I decided the best thing I could attempt to do was to take a shower. It was a little before twilight and I had some time to kill before school tomorrow morning.

The warm water cascaded over my body, not nearly as hot as I had wanted it, but it was enough. I used my favorite strawberry shampoo three times in my hair to drag the shower out as long as possible, but the water started to cool off.

My stomach growled, letting me know that I had ignored it for far too long, but I wasn't in the mood to eat. I crawled into my bed and pulled out my favorite book, Wuthering Heights, and started reading it for the hundredth time, easily.

I had almost half of the book read by the time I was really sleepy for bed. But alone in my head, really scared me in this new place. I didn't mean to cry myself to sleep.

* * *

I woke in the morning, partly because my alarm clock went off, and also because the smell of bacon and eggs was enticing my already starved stomach. I took another quick shower and changed in the bathroom. I chose a simple black cowl neck sweater and dark blue jeans. Heidi would have been proud that for my first day I actually picked out black boots to wear instead of my comfortable converse.

I walked down the steps, carefully. There wasn't much of a heel to the boots, but they would definitely complicate my already clumsy feet. Maybe there was time to change my shoes.

"Here you go kiddo, I made you some eggs, bacon, and toast."

"Smells great Mr. Swan." Charlie winced when I addressed him so formally. But it was something I couldn't help. I was hoping that he wouldn't notice, or at least not let it bother him, but obviously it had.

"You know, I've been thinking, it can't be easy for you to adjust to this new life. Especially, from Italy to Forks. But, Bella, I'm not going to push you. You lived with a whole completely different family for seventeen years without ever knowing your true roots. So I don't expect you to call me dad right away. But you can call me Charlie in the meantime. Alright?"

"Okay." I shoved the last of my eggs in my mouth and looked at the clock.

"Holy crow! I need to go." I remembered that I never got an accurate tour of the town. I had an idea of where the school was, even though all I saw was a sign from the road when we passed it last night. All I had to do was backtrack our route.

"Do you know where to go?" Charlie asked without looking up from his newspaper.

"Yes, I think so."

"Alright call me if you get lost. Oh dang it, I guess we gotta get you a phone, huh?"

"No it's okay. I have one." I held up the iPhone that Aro and Caius bought me last year.

"Well then, your -, I mean, that nice family will have to pay for international calls, and roaming fees." I noticed Charlie was avoiding referring to my family as actually mine. What he didn't realize was that I will always claim them, no matter what. They were all I knew, my family of vampires.

"Believe me, they'll be okay with it." I said as I grabbed my coat and walked out of the house. It was only after I reached the cab of the truck that it caught on that Charlie might have taken that the wrong way. I just didn't want him to feel that he needed to buy me all of these things just because I was here now.

The drive to the school was basic, and extremely slow. I couldn't get the rusty thing to reach sixty, it barely made it over fifty-five. I am normally a carful driver, but I was always in vehicles that did more damage than sixty miles an hour. Now that I was in a car that couldn't even best that, I wanted to go faster. The irony wouldn't be lost to Santiago.

I quickly turned the truck off once I found a parking lot to avoid the stares, but the staring was inevitable. I looked around the parking lot and saw that the nicest car here was a shiny Volvo. Remembering Aro's mocking tone about me driving a Volvo here, I couldn't help but chuckle softly. If only he could see what I was driving now, he'd prefer that Volvo. But I didn't mind my truck. Sure, it didn't go fast, but it had a history, something I was envious of.

I let out a huge sigh as I gathered my bag so that I could head to the administrative office. Charlie reminded me that I needed to get my schedule and possibly a map of the school. Walking towards the building, I could see why he suggested a map. It was not just one building, it was a series of buildings spread out on the campus.

The brisk air sent chills to my arms, despite the coat and the sweater. The sky looked bleak enough for rain and I was glad that my coat had a hood. I sighed as I added weather to my running tally of things that I had to get used to.

"Can I help you dear?" A woman that had to be pushing forty with impossibly bright red hair called out to me from a stack of papers. One look at the nameplate on her desk let me know her name was Mrs. Copes.

"Hi my name is Bella DiMarco, I'm a new student here." I was tentative because I wasn't sure what everyone knew about me. And I was plenty sure that everyone in this small town knew about me.

"Heavens! You're Chief Swan's missing daughter!" She clasped her hand to her chest as if she was going to have a heart attack. At first I thought she was going to jump over the counter and hug me. "But I thought your name was Isabella Swan?"

"No, well I guess. My paperwork all says Isabella DiMarco though. I'd like to keep it that way, thank you."

"Oh, alright, that's fine I guess." Mrs. Copes reigned in her excitement when she realized I wasn't going to explain why I'd chosen not to take the name Swan. "Here is your schedule and map. I highlighted the easiest route for you to take to your classes. Also, you need to get this card signed by all of your teachers. Is all of that clear?"

"Yes, thank you." I gathered my things and studied the map, hoping that I wouldn't need to bring it out again.

First up was English Lit, my favorite. In my studies, Sulpica, Caius's wife was my literature teacher. Only she didn't just focus on Italian or English, we covered almost every piece of classical literature that she considered as "great." But everything from the English section was my favorite, especially the Romantic Period as I termed it. Which is probably why I've read Wuthering Heights seemingly a million times.

I settled into the seat that the teacher directed me to, and took a look at the syllabus that she handed me. Everything seemed basic and simple. Sulpica prepared me well for this it would seem. I smiled when I saw that they were reading Wuthering Heights, this was going to be just too easy.

The rest of my classes were just as easy, and just as boring. The only teacher that made me introduce myself to the class was my algebra teacher, Mr. Varner. He was very persistent in making me tell everyone about a typical day in Italy was for me. If I had a hitlist, he'd be at the very top.

I tried concentrating on the lessons of all of my classes, but because I'd studied each of the subjects in Volterra, my mind easily wandered in daydreams. Algebra was equally as hard because this girl, Jessica, kept yapping in my ear.

"So you're sitting with me at lunch right? I totally forgot to ask you who you've met so far. But I guess it really doesn't matter, all you really need to know is my friends anyway."

I rolled my eyes as Jessica linked her arm in mine and led me to the cafeteria. Her table was already crowded with a few people that I had met so far. I vaguely remembered Angela, from my English class. I cringed when I saw Mike and Eric sitting on the table talking with two other girls I'd never met before. Both of them seemed to have a special interest in me, which made me completely uncomfortable. Mike was like a golden retriever puppy that was relentless. I could tell by Jessica's reaction that this wasn't their normal table.

The drabble continued and I got in line to get something to eat, and only ended up with an apple and a bottle of water.

I started to make my way to my table, ignoring the feeling of dread the consumed my legs with each step closer to my new "friends." Why on earth would I need to leave my vampire companions for the human relationships that Uncle Aro assumed I needed? I knew the answer to that as I continued walking. It was the only reason I continued walking, really. For Charlie. He was a man I never had the chance to know, but that chance was being given to me now. I needed to be determined to make this work, for Charlie's sake.

Just as I reached my seat, something pale caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. It was there I saw the five impossibly beautiful teenagers. They were very aware of each other, though none of them were looking at the other.

"Who are they?"

Jessica seemed to know who I was talking about because she didn't even turn around to see who I was referring to.

"Those are the Cullen's. They moved here about two years ago from Alaska. They're extremely gorgeous and extremely attached, to each other."

"What do you mean? They're incestuous?" I asked.

"Well you see the blonde girl?" Jess shifted in her chair to point them out to me. "Well that's Rosalie Hale, her brother is Jasper Hale. That's the blonde guy that looks like he is in pain. Ok, so get this, she goes out with Emmett Cullen, the big guy right there. And Jasper goes out with Emmett's little sister, Alice. Obviously she's the one that looks like a pixie. They all live in the same house! Can you believe that?"

"Is that wrong? They live in the same house and go out with each other, but obviously they're not related." Jess looked at me like I was crazy.

"Well, Dr. and Mrs. Cullen can't have children, so they adopt. They're going out with their brothers and sisters. Adopted or not, that's gross!" Jessica continued to look at me, probably thinking that I was weird for not coming to the same conclusion as her. I looked back at the teenagers and the one that Jessica hadn't mentioned anything about, was staring right back at me. He looked amazingly gorgeous even though he looked confused. I'd never seen anyone with eyes of honey before, and they only enhanced his beauty.

"Jess, who's that?"

Her voice changed drastically from her last piece of gossip she'd fed me. "That's Edward Cullen, but don't waste your time on developing a crush on him. He doesn't date." She stiffed a grape in her mouth and started chewing it violently, then bent over close so that she could whisper in my ear. "He's gay."

"Really?"

"Hmm-hmmm. Both Lauren and I tried hooking up with him, but he turned us down every time. That means he's gay."

I nodded to her, not wanting to make a scene about hooking up with random people. Just because he didn't with either of them, both of whom were not particularly pretty, did not make him gay. I looked back at Edward and saw him laughing. His lips moved ever so slightly, and the rest of the table giggled with laughter as well. Everyone stole glances at me and I noticed that their eyes were all the same color as Edward's.

I was confused. The fact that Edward seemed to hear what Jessica had said, and their unnatural beauty, I would have pegged them for vampires. But their eyes were all wrong.

Maybe there were other mythical creatures in the world, maybe the Cullen's were one of those creatures. I knew werewolves existed, Uncle Caius spent several days relaying the wars with the Children of the Moon. Maybe witches or trolls. But then again no one so beautiful as them could be mistaken as a troll.

"Hey Bella! You have biology next right? I'll walk you to class." Mike offered without realizing that I was lost in my own thoughts. I grabbed my bag when I saw that everyone in the cafeteria was preparing to leave as well. One look at the Cullen's table showed me that they were already gone.

I allowed Mike to lead me to class, though I was uncomfortable with the way his arm kept finding it's way around my shoulders. I'd have to talk to him about that. He asked me about living in Italy and I answered when it was appropriate, but he mostly just talked about himself.

"Ahhh, you must be my new Italian student, Isabella. I am Mr. Banner, here are your books. You can have a seat over there, next to Edward Cullen."

My heart stopped. Mr. Banner turned his back to me as I started to walk towards my seat. Of course my feet chose that moment to trip over a flat surface, catching a few snickers from the class.

I desperately reached my seat and gave Edward an apologetic smile. At least I tried to. I could feel my smile freeze into a grimace instead. A tortured gasp escaped my lips.

No matter how his eyes used to be honey, as I looked into them now, I knew him for what he was. Vampire.

He was staring back at me with cold, dead and black eyes. He was a vampire, I was sure of it, and he was hungry.

I lived with vampires all my life, and not once had I truly feared my life. I knew that people weren't supposed to know about vampires. But everyone knew that Aro had a small team of humans that worked for him. Aro's one rule for me was never to reveal that I knew the secrets of the Volturi.

I ripped a sheet of paper out of my notebook and started writing.

_Get a grip. Get some fresh air._

Edward looked even more perplexed as he read the note. It was obvious I knew what he was and this was troubling him. But he listened.

"Mr. Banner?" Edward stood up and started walking to the door before Mr. Banner acknowledged him. "I need to see the nurse."

Mr. Banner waved him off and Edward just barely managed to leave the classroom at a human pace.

While he was gone, I tossed and turned what I was going to say to Edward. There was no way I could tell them about the Volturi. Though I was positive he was already thinking of them regardless. It would be too many coincidences that I lived in Italy and I knew about vampires. It was a direct conclusion that anyone in the know would come to.

There was only one thing I could do. Lie.

But Edward never returned. The bell rang and his seat remained empty the entire time. I grabbed my things and his book and walked towards gym. Mike had offered to walk me there but I told him that I had to make a stop at the bathroom.

I searched the hallways for Edward, or any of the Cullen's but didn't find any of them.

I stepped out into the crisp air that was biting my exposed ears and pulled up my hood.

"Who are you?" I heard behind me. I looked back and saw Edward leaning against the brick wall of the building.

"I'm pretty sure you know who I am." Everyone in this small town knew who I was.

"Yes, you're Bella Swan from Italy. Kidnapped as a baby and returned like the prodigal son seventeen years later." His breath wavered through my nose and I was immediately hooked. It was soft and sweet. My eyes drifted to his lips. Dangerous.

"Do you even understand the story of the prodigal son? He left on his own to squander his father's money away. I was kidnapped after someone killed my mother. So how did I return as the prodigal son?" He was making me mad, and I invited it. The angrier I was, the easier it would be for me to lie to him.

I handed him his book, and turned on my heels.

"Thanks," he called to me even though I continued walking away.

"I have another question for you." I turned back around and he was already by my side. "But I'm not sure how to ask it."

"What is it Cullen?"

"Hmm, I'll ask it later. Right now there's only one thing I want to know." He placed his arm on my shoulder and started walking me towards gym, my last period class.

"Okay, what is it?" My heart started beating too fast and I wished there was something I could do to hold it still.

His eyes were back to a honey color again. No longer the black I saw in class. Had he eaten?

"I was wondering why you told me to get a grip."

"You looked like you were about to have a heart attack. Though in retrospect I guess that would be the wrong thing to say to someone actually having a heart attack. Maybe an asthma attack is better. At one point it did look like you weren't breathing."

"Oh, you saw that. Yeah sometime's it happens. Umm, allergies."

I resisted the urge to laugh at his attempt to lie to me.

We entered the building and almost immediately, I felt him tense up.

"Are you okay?"

"I'll see you later." And he made a dash for the door, the same way we came.

Me and gym weren't such a great idea, and I welcomed the opportunity to sit out since it was my first day. Even though it was only delaying the inevitable, I was grateful that I didn't have to start today.

I grabbed the card that my teacher's signed. I couldn't figure out the purpose for it, to be honest, but regardless, I headed over to the administrative building.

I hurried into the warm office, and saw that Mrs. Cope's was helping a student. Without meaning to, I froze when I realized that it was Edward. I backed against the wall, debating whether or not I should just leave. I could just turn in the card in the morning.

"Mrs. Cope's, there has to be an open period during sixth hour. I can't do Biology." Edward was practically pleading.

He really wanted to leave because of me? Just in the moment I decided to leave the office, a girl who I remember Jess referring to as Katie, opened the door and a gust of wind accompanied her presence. In the brief second that Katie was in the office, I witnessed Edward's entire body begin to shake with tension. He slowly craned his head around and his eyes pierced into mine.

My legs seemed too frozen to move and I couldn't help but scowl at him. This was ridiculous.

I slammed my card on poor Mrs. Cope's desk, who looked stunned at such a gesture. "Don't do him any favors." I called back as I stormed out of the office.

I hurried in the brisk air to my truck, I shook my head, wishing I had something that drove a bit faster than the rusty truck that Charlie bought for me. Of course, as luck would have it, as soon as I reached the door, I dropped my keys.

"Edward, now is not the time to leave! You can't possibly leave. Especially when you think she knows about us. We'll need you now more than ever." A small impish voice walked beside him. I peeked around the fender of the truck, rust flaked off at the slightest touch. The one that Jess identified as Alice was the one that was practically begging him to stay.

"Alice, you have no idea what she was doing to me, just her scent alone. Besides, it's not like I can hear her thoughts." What?

He can read minds like my uncle? I'd never come across anyone that had the same gift as him. It also intrigued me even more that like my uncle, he couldn't penetrate my mind.

"What do you mean, you can't hear her?" Another voice suddenly appeared, but from my angle I couldn't see who it was. There was a subtle, but very enticing southern drawl to the voice. Very faintly, I heard the footsteps of the other siblings trailing behind the first voice.

I had never paid attention to the angelic way a vampires voice sounded compared to normal humans. Of course I noticed the difference between mine and the guard, but human people I never really dealt with. Hearing the difference here in Forks, was completely obvious, and I wondered why Aro kept me around.

"I mean just that. I am deaf when it comes to her." I looked at Edward incredulously. Not only was he preparing to leave biology but he was prepared to leave the school. Because of me.

I grabbed my keys and prepared to make an exit, but of course, fate had to cause me some embarrassing pain. As I stood up, I hit my head on the sideview mirror, causing me to fall back down to the ground. I sighed when I realized that no one saw me.

Unfortunately I was wrong.

A booming laugh echoed through the air before being quickly interrupted by a hard thud. I looked up, only to find Edward staring me down.

"Are you alright?" He asked. A crooked smile flashed across his face and touched his eyes.

"Are you breathing?" Of course I wasn't. I was light-headed all because I forgot to breathe. Get a grip Bella I told myself.

"I'm fine." I brought my hand away from my head but was devastated to find a slight hint of blood.

"Rose, get Jasper home, quick." Edward shouted.

"I need to get out of here, sorry." I panicked when I looked back at Jasper. His snarls were directed towards me and he was trying to rush past me but his mountain of a brother, Emmett was holding him back.

I was in my truck faster than the thirsty vampire realized what was happening. It was silly of me to think my monster of a truck would provide safety for me, but being human, it was enough.

Thankfully, as I was pulling out of my parking spot, I saw Edward's siblings holding back Jasper. The parking lot was mostly empty since they left immediately after the bell. There weren't that many people around to witness my near attack.

Charlie wasn't home by the time I got there, so I decided to start dinner. He didn't have much in the refrigerator, there were a few pieces of fish so I decided to fry them. The potatoes that I found would go nice with the fish, so I started to peel them. Very carefully.

If the local vampires were anything like my vampires, they would be watching me soon, if not now. There was no need to start leaving a trail of blood for them to go into another frenzy.

The dinner was finally finished when I heard Charlie's cruiser pull into the driveway.

"Smells good in here Bells." Charlie's booming voice startled me despite knowing that he was home.

"Thank you, I found your fish, I hope you don't mind."

"No not at all. Though if I had known you were cooking, I would have told you I was having some company later."

Charlie was in the kitchen now looking over the feast I cooked.

"But it seems you cooked more than enough for wolves."

I felt the blood rush to my face. I had no idea what it was like to cook for two people. Let alone a grown man who I just met. Every time before now, I only needed to cook enough for me, and I barely ate enough as it was. I guess ten pieces of fish was a bit overkill.

We ate dinner in silence, neither one of us seemed too comfortable with the other's company just yet. Other than the few questions he had about my first day of school, dinner was pretty quiet.

I was about to finish up the dishes when the doorbell rang.

"Well hey Charlie, you ready for the game?" I turned to see who had arrived.

The voice belonged to a man that was being pushed in a wheelchair. He was a burly man with rich russet skin. There was no mistaking him for anything but Native American.

Behind him was a gangly boy of the same skin complexion with long black hair. He looked as if he was fifteen or sixteen, if he grew some muscles on his body, he would definitely be kind of beautiful.

"Billy I want you to meet my daughter, Bella." I shook the man's hand, and the boy continued to stare at me.

"Bella, it's so finally nice to meet you. Billy here hasn't stopped talking about you since he found you. This here's my son Jacob."

"HI, Billy, Jacob. Umm, there's some fish and potatoes here if you're hungry."

I served Charlie's visitors and got them settled in the living room for the game.

I knew enough of football that I could follow the game, but I grew bored after listening to Charlie and Billy's banter. Plus, Jacob's staring was becoming more and more uncomfortable.

After the first quarter, I excused myself for a quick shower and my bed.

I settled into the rocking chair that sat in the corner of my room by the window, and pulled out my phone.

It should just be after three in the morning in Volterra. I wanted to talk to uncle about the Cullen's but I needed to do it discreetly in case one or all of them were outside listening.

I let Gianna go through her greeting, and I simply asked for my uncle.

"Sure, is everything okay Bella?"

"Yeah, I can't really talk because my dad might come in any minute."

"Of course, miss you sweetheart." I heard Gianna say before placing me on hold.

"Bella, my wonderful girl. How are you? Are you liking Forks? I have you on speakerphone with Caius and Marcus."

"I guess it's okay. Some of the people are interesting."

"Sounds like a story there. Care to tell?" Caius asked.

I debated whether or not I should tell them about the Cullen's. But then again, a coven as large as I thought the Cullen's were, Aro had to know who they were.

"Well, there's this boy, Edward Cullen, who despises me enough to switch his classes because of me." I let that settle in the space between us as I imagined the three of them looking at each other.

If I was right, Aro knew that the Cullen's were vampires.

"You said he hates you darling? Well anyone who could hate you is hardly noteworthy." I heard whispered from Uncle Marcus.

"I know I should agree with you Uncle. But there is something about him and his family that's oddly familiar. It's just something that's off."

"How so dear."

"Somewhat like you." I whispered, hoping against all hopes that there weren't any vampires outside my window. I looked outside but I didn't see any signs of anyone out there. As if that mattered, vampires had a way of seeming invisible when necessary.

"I guess it's time to tell her." Marcus said.

"I guess you're right." Aro conceded.

"Tell me what?"

**A/N: So as promised on Mondays here is Chapter 2 of CS. Don't forget to review, and while you're at it tell me about New Moon. I saw it twice in the theatres and I have mixed feelings over it. Love you guys!!!**


	4. Chapter 3: If You Were A Vampire

Chapter 3

"Will someone speak to me?" I asked impatiently.

Finally Aro spoke up.

"You are right to assume that Edward and his family are vampires. But they are not like us, in any way."

I was confused. I had no idea that there were different species of vampires.

"You see the Cullen's have a particular aversion to the regular diet. They claim that they are preserving human life by their special diet."

"Which is?"

"The Cullen's prefer animal blood. More specifically, large mammals, wolves, elk, the such. I'm amazed that he has found other like minded vampires to stick to such a diet. Surely they should have gone mad by now. But likewise, because of their diet, their eyes take on a different color than ours. While we have red, they have a honey tone."

"He?" I inquired.

"Bella, he is Carlisle Cullen. Our young visitor many centuries ago. You've seen the portrait in my office."

"The blonde one? He looked so much more like an angel than a vampire. I can't believe I didn't put two and two together.

"Wait uncle, if you knew about this other diet, why did you not suggest it to me, knowing that was the main reason I did not take up the family business."

"Are there ears around you, young Bella?" Caius picked up on my not so subtle hint.

"Maybe. Just a precaution, I guess." I continued staring out the window.

"I didn't suggest it because it's not natural."

"Oh and you are? Everything about you guys should not be natural."

"You may have a point, but we do. And what they do is not."

"And if I choose that way, you would consider me unnatural as well?"

"I wouldn't outcast you Bella, but please understand this, while you may believe that we shouldn't exist, animal blood is not the natural order of things. The Cullen's have perverted our life with their ideals."

"And yet knowing my avoidance of the issue, despite your attempts to err, hire me, you failed to mention something that was a deal breaker for me."

I failed miserably to check the volume of my speech, and prayed that Charlie hadn't heard me.

"All I'm saying uncle is you knew there was an option, unnatural or not, and you did not give me a chance to consider all angles."

"I'm sorry Bella. If you think that was inconsiderate of me, please forgive me. I was not thinking, though I'm surprised you never asked me about the eyes before. You've met an animal drinker before. Eleazar, remember dear?" Aro apologized half-heartedly.

There was something about my uncle that I never fully trusted. No matter how much he told me the truth, I sometimes felt as though there was a hidden agenda. And this was one of those times. I did remember Eleazar, though not until Aro reminded me just now. He had shown up when I was six or seven, but spent all of ten seconds with me, despite being in the castle for two days. Of course this was before I knew of any vampires, so I hadn't given much thought to the beautiful tint in his eyes.

"Uncle. May I ask you a question." I took his silence as a sign to continue. "Would it be against the rules to tell them that I know? They already seem suspicious of me for a mistake I made, and maybe if they know I can be trusted with their secret, they won't be so wary of me."

It seemed like forever that I waited for his answer.

"What mistake are you referring to?" Caius' voice piped through.

"Well in class, Edward seemed to stop breathing when he caught my scent. I told him to go outside and catch some fresh air. He tried asking me about that after class, but I was very evasive."

I could faintly hear a buzzing through the receiver. I knew all too well that my uncles were discussing the situation, my human ears just couldn't perceive what they were talking about.

"Well, we would prefer that you did not mention us. As you know, it is against the rules for humans to know of our existence. Those who do know, have only two options, be changed or die. Since you have no intentions to become as us, and we have no desire to see you killed, we are in violation of our own rule."

"But what about Gianna? She knows, and everybody knows that she works for you." I argued. "Couldn't I just be one of your workers?"

"Bella, please be reasonable. There will come a time when Gianna's purpose will be served, and her fate will be decided. And besides, if you plan on telling a group of vampires that you know about them because you used to live with the very group that exists to judge and rule over them, they will only be more suspicious of you." Aro reasoned with me and I could see the logic.

He cringed when I told him the vehicle that Charlie bought me. Again he insisted on buying me a car and having it shipped to me. But I knew it would hurt Charlie's feelings.

I was glad that we ended the conversation on a better note. When Marcus reminded me to get a couple of answers wrong, and Caius argued that I had a superior education and I should be proud of it, I couldn't help but laugh at the distraction. I missed everyone back home.

Of course Jane, Felix and Demetri were out on an assignment, but at least I got to speak with Santiago and Heidi briefly. I left a message with them to let Jane and the guys to call me back when they can.

I left the rocking chair when I caught a fleeting glimpse of a pale figure standing at the edge of the woods. I climbed into the tiny bed, without a care. If whoever was out there wanted to kill me, there was nothing between us that would stop them. I simply wished they would spare Charlie.

* * *

I spent the morning trying to flesh out exactly what I was going to say to the Cullen's when I saw them in school today. I figured the best time would be the cafeteria, they were all together then, and there would be a ton of witnesses. If they, and by they I meant Jasper, lost their cool, they would be much more careful. Hopefully.

But I never saw them. I looked for them in the parking lot, but I didn't even know what car was theirs, so it was possible that they were already here.

Classes barely held my attention, and only because the conversation was directed towards me did I even notice that Jessica or Mike were talking to me.

Just like the previous day, Jessica met me outside of class and we walked to the cafeteria. I had to figure out a way to breakaway momentarily from Mike and Jess, who I dubbed as my guard dogs. Apparently, being friends with the new girl from Italy had its perks in the perception of our peers.

I never saw a moment to be free of them, though it didn't matter. None of the Cullen's were sitting at their table. My heart sank at the thought that I didn't get to see them today. Besides the fact that I wanted to confront them, they were honestly the most beautiful vampires I had ever seen. Even Heidi had nothing on Rosalie. Even their movements seemed the betterment of flawless and gracefulness compared to the Volturi vampires.

I grabbed an apple for lunch, and Eric began fussing that I wasn't eating enough and split his pizza with me. But I settled for my apple, much to his dismay. It looked like I was forming another buddy. Great.

Again, Mike offered to walk me to class, and I didn't realize that I was holding my breath. I was hoping, more like praying that Edward was in class today. But when I turned the corner into the classroom, my hopes were dashed.

Even halfway through class I clung to the hope that maybe he'd walk in late, hand Mr. Banner a late pass and settle into the chair beside me. It never happened.

The next day was filled with the same disappointment as the day before, as was Thursday.

By Friday, I'd accepted that they had left town, which of course made me feel guilty. It was obvious that I was the reason that they left. But everyone that was around me was oblivious to the Cullen's presence, let alone why they had left. They continued their lives regardless. And eventually so had I.

My relationship with Charlie at home had improved drastically. His friend Billy suggested that I come out on the boat with him and Charlie for some fishing and bonding. It was something I had never experienced before so I agreed. Charlie and Billy set the date for this weekend. I was a little disgruntled when he mentioned that Jacob was coming as well.

"Don't give me that, Bella. Jacob is a nice kid, and I think he's developed a little crush on you."

"_Kid _being the operative word Charlie." This past week, Billy and Jacob found every excuse in the world to visit the house. Me and Jacob would spend some time together, we'd have some interesting conversations. But then the moment would always turn awkward at some point and I always used the excuse of homework to get away from Jacob's longing stares.

However, by Thursday's visit, I'd grown comfortable with Jacob, that we were playful and I truly enjoyed his company.

I woke up Saturday morning, and closed the window. It was letting in an unusually warm breeze but I couldn't remember leaving it open.

Hurriedly, I took a shower, confused why I was excited about this fishing trip. My wet hair went into a sloppy ponytail, and I found some jeans and a black t-shirt to wear today.

Charlie was very thoughtful and prepared another breakfast of eggs and bacon. I was beginning to think that was all he knew how to cook.

"You seem excitable today." Charlie looked at me with a warm smile that hinted at the warmth behind his eyes. I never knew my mother, but I could see why she fell in love with him.

"I guess I really can't wait to try out this fishing thing. I just hope I don't fall in the water." We laughed at my joke, but I was being dead serious. Knowing the way my luck ran, I'd fall in and get swallowed by a shark. It didn't matter that sharks weren't in the lake that we were going to be in, there would be a Great White there, just for me.

"I packed up a few sandwiches for us today and plenty of bottles of water, so we should be good to go." Charlie said as he grabbed our coats from the hooks by the door.

"Okay let's go. I guess."

Charlie tossed me my jacket as I followed him out to the cruiser. There wasn't much to be said during the drive to La Push, the Indian Reservation that Billy lived on.

"Bella! It's good seeing you. Could you believe that I actually missed you?"

I laughed at the ease that our conversations turned, though I was hoping that our relationship wasn't going to become some misguided crush on his end.

"Jake we just saw each other last night." He laughed I took notice that he seemed to have grown an inch between the last twelve hours since I'd seen him.

Jake wrapped his massive arm around my waist, helping me in the boat. Charlie had already helped Billy into the boat and he settled in a small spot next to his friend.

"Life jackets?" I asked wondering where they were. I looked around and none of the guys had one on, nor were there any to be seen in the small motor boat. I was beginning to think that Charlie didn't believe me when I thought it a possibility to fall in the water.

"What do we need those for?" Jacob called back to me as he began untying the boat from the dock.

I pointed to myself in disgust at the disregard for my clumsiness.

"I'm the world's biggest klutz. Hello!" I shook my head in disbelief.

"Don't worry Bella. If you fall in, I'll rescue you." He flashed me a goofy smile that completely fit his face. How did I ever feel uncomfortable around Jake?

Jacob pushed us off and hopped into the boat in one fluid motion.

"Gosh Jake, how did you become so graceful, while I was a natural klutz?"

"What can I say? You only wish you could be me." He let out a laugh that was loud but soft at the same time. It was amazing to me that in the short period of time that I was already considering Jacob as a good friend. But then again, I had already determined that Jess and Mike and some of the others were not the friends I wanted to be around. Angela on the other hand was one of the few I considered to be an admirable friend.

My father and Jacob took turns trying to show me how to bait my hook and cast the line. It was disastrous. After an hour of nearly capsizing the boat, Billy very delicately suggested that Jacob accompany me on First Beach.

"They're really into this fishing thing huh?" I asked Jacob after he pushed the boat back out for Charlie to start the engine up again.

"It's their favorite way to bond, well at least after watching sports. Actually I don't know which one they enjoy more." Jacob broke out into laughter thinking about the two men.

"Can you tell me about him?" I asked softly.

"Who? Charlie?" Jake looked at me questionably. I nodded my head for him to continue, and he shrugged.

"What's to tell. Your father is a very simple man. What you see is what you get with him. He's police chief by day, fisherman and sports fan by night, you know. Obviously I wasn't born when your mother left, but I hear that he was real devastated."

"What do you mean she left? They were divorced?"

"Not divorced, at least not yet anyways. Billy says that she was having trouble adjusting to the small town life. After you were born, she refused to be settled into it. She told Charlie that she was going to visit some family in Germany and split. He never stopped looking for the two of you." Jacob's voice was sad when he spoke the last sentence.

"He became really close friends with my dad then. They were practically inseparable, at least when Charlie wasn't working. I guess you could say my dad's friendship helped keep him together after you guys were gone. That and Harry Clearwater's fish fry." He laughed at some memory that I was not familiar with. Despite the pain that seeped through his voice, as if he was there for Charlie's turmoil, was oddly comforting.

"You know actually, the night that we met you? It was actually a reunion for Charlie and Billy. They hadn't spoken to each other for almost two years."

"But Jake if they were so close, what separated them for such a long time?" I couldn't imagine being separated from someone that was my best friend for that long. I'd hurt inside having known a friendship that great. We found a large stark white tree branch that was sticking out of the sand of the beach, and sat on the twisted bark. Not a very comfortable bench, but at least we didn't have to keep walking on the sand.

"Well it's really stupid. You see my father and some of the elders do not like the Cullen's, and took special offense when Dr. Cullen started working in the hospital. Everyone on the res were forbidden to go to the hospital. Charlie tried to show them reason, but none of the elders were biting. Charlie had a hard time trying to figure out why the tribe was being so prejudiced against someone they didn't know. But they did know them."

"So why did the elders hate the Cullen's? I thought that they just moved here two years ago."

"They did, but listen. My tribe is supposedly descendants to these great warrior wolves. And one night, many years ago, these wolves came across an enemy family. But this family claimed to be something different than their sinister counterparts. Legend has it that one of the wolves, my grandfather, believed them and made a truce with this family. As long as they didn't come on our land, we wouldn't expose them for what they really were."

I listened intently. This silly boy that I considered to be my friend, knew about vampires. Though he didn't believe the stories, his father certainly did, and it was obvious that he was right. The unfortunate thing was that there was a possibility that his family were Children of the Moon.

"Are you scared? You kind of stopped breathing." Jacob asked, his hand rested on my back.

"Yeah I'm fine. My first day here, it seemed the Cullen's didn't like me. Well no, just Edward had a problem with me. So I guess I was kind of hoping my weekend wouldn't end up revolving around them."

"Well you know, I can take your mind off of them again."

I swatted him away with laughter. I noticed that the sun was lower than I had expected. Looking at my watch, I saw that it was way later than what I expected.

"Hey Jake, maybe we should make our way back. I'm sure by now Charlie is probably getting worried about us."

Jacob kind of snorted before he opened his mouth again. "Hardly. Haven't you noticed that Charlie thinks you and me would be good together?"

"Jake." I stopped walking abruptly but Jacob was able to match my movements regardless. "I've only been in this country for less than a week. The idea of being in a relationship with anyone right now is asinine. Can you respect that?"

"Bella, we were talking about Charlie remember?" I smiled as I saw how guilty Jacob acted. He ran his hand through his hair and looked extremely sheepish.

"Bella, let me ask you a question. Have you realized that you haven't called Charlie dad at all?"

The sigh I released was long, drawn out much more than it probably should have been. "I have noticed, Jacob. But what do you expect?"

"He's hurting."

"And I'm not? I mean, despite the fact that Charlie is practically a stranger to me, I am trying. I really am. But everyone is concerned about him. I can't blame them, they've known him longer than I have. But you can't expect me to call him dad, when I was raised as someone else's daughter."

I hated it when people told me how to feel. I was never one to be defiant or rebellious, but as soon as someone decided that they knew how I should live, I needed to act out some need to defend myself.

"But Bella, he wants nothing more than to be your father. Calling him Mr. Swan or Charlie to his face, will not help the situation."

"And all I need is time. Six days is not long enough to form a bond that takes years to develop. And it's not something that can be forced upon. But this conversation, is over. And as far as I'm concerned, so is our friendship."

I hadn't realized that I was yelling, but I stormed away from Jacob and made my way up the street. I was beginning to think I was on the wrong street when I saw Charlie's cruiser. I hurried to the house that it was parked in front of. I rushed through the door, and saw Charlie and Billy in the house at the t.v.

"Charlie, I'm ready to go. Can we go please?" I asked impatiently. I was glad that Jacob hadn't chased after me, but I knew that it would only be a matter of time before he reached the house.

I let the door slam behind me as I turned back to the cruiser, thankful that Charlie left it unlocked, and made myself comfortable in the front seat. I crossed my arms when I saw Jacob chuckling in the door frame telling Billy what had happened as Charlie grabbed his keys.

I felt bad that Charlie had to hear of the stupid conversation that me and Jacob had. I felt that the matter itself should have been between me and Charlie, not a third party. Lest of all Jacob.

"Don't go too hard on him, Bella. He just means well." It was the first thing that Charlie said to me on our way home.

"Ha! You were probably in on it." I mumbled. I stared out the window as the trees became a blur.

"I'll be in my room, Charlie." Charlie looked stunned as I made my way up the stairs of his house. I immediately felt guilty over the hurt that I had caused him.

"Bella wait." I closed my eyes and turned on my heel. Steps weren't a good idea for me so I held onto the railing.

"I may have expressed to Billy my disappointment of the way you address me, but I did not mean for either of them to speak to you. But since it has been said, please know that I would like you to call me dad from now on."

The pain that was on his face was almost unbearable. Almost.

"You know, I've never been fishing before because it never held an interest for me. I can't play sports, and watching them bores me. But I did them this week for you. I've had the last seventeen years not knowing that you existed. And like that you want me to call you dad? To me, that's too familiar for someone I don't know. So for now I'll call you Charlie."

I felt horrible when I turned my back on him and hurried to my room. I didn't even bother to lock my door before I started crying. The tears kept coming and I didn't even know why I was crying.

Either I was upset over Jacob or Charlie. Which hurt me more? I'd only known Charlie for a day longer than Jacob, and yet somehow Jacob's words seemed much more hurtful.

I grabbed my pajamas and headed for the bathroom. The water was scalding hot, and I barely noticed. I just wanted to get the smell of fish off of my body, or maybe I was trying to wash the stupid day down the drain with the water.

* * *

"Maybe it would help if you stayed over my house this weekend? We can go to Port Angeles for a movie, some shopping. Come on it'll be fun." The routine that me and Jessica seemed to settle in was much more regular now. We were walking to the cafeteria.

I had spent my Sunday venting to her over the phone of my troubles with Charlie and Jacob. And now she was giving me her idea for a solution. I had a feeling that it was because she could be seen making valid plans with me, thus shooting her popularity through the roof of Forks High School.

"We'll see." I simply said as we rounded the corner and entered the white doors to the lunchroom. And it was there my heart stopped.

All last week, the one table was completely empty, even in their absence, no one dared go over to their table. But now, all five vampires were back, as if there was no indiscretion of time.

They were laughing with each other, sharing a joke that only they had heard. The closeness that they showed was something I had never seen among vampires. Even my uncles had said that the Volturi were the largest coven in the world. But within it, there were cliques that were never more than four. And from I'm told four was the exception. But here in Forks, were five vampires that were close and went to school.

The control that they showed was exceptional. I couldn't even hold a grudge against Jasper for nearly attacking me. He already looked like he was struggling with his thirst that day. Besides it wasn't like it wasn't the first time that I was the focal point of a vampires thirst.

"What's wrong with you, Bella? Come on." Jessica pulled me out of my thoughts and practically dragged me to our table.

"Hey Bella, we're going to La Push this Friday. You down for a beach party?" Tyler was my latest male follower that joined Jessica's table. His arm snuggled across my back.

There was no way I wanted to go anywhere near La Push after my last visit. I looked at Jessica to safe me, but she didn't pick up on my cues. She looked a little miffed that she wasn't invited to the beach party.

"Excuse me, Bella? May I speak with you?" I looked behind me and saw Edward there, his eyes were a wonderful shade of ochre. He looked even more glorious than I had remembered.

I followed Edward to a secluded, empty table in the cafeteria, but it didn't change the fact that I could still feel the stares from my table. I even caught a glimpse of his sister, Rosalie glaring at me. He sat across from me, allowing a complete visual of the god that was before me.

I internally urged myself to get a grip. I was acting like a little girl that had never lived with vampires before, let alone seen one.

"I had a feeling that you wanted an escape for the moment. You seemed a little petrified about something." Edward flashed a smile that made me thankful that I was sitting. Otherwise, my knees probably would have collapsed.

"Thanks. Why are you here?"

"I do go to school here." He let out a chuckle as he relaxed in his seat.

"No I mean, I thought you left. I heard you. And then you and your siblings were gone, I just figured you left."

Another laugh broke away from his lips. "You talk as if you missed me. Is that it Miss DiMarco?"

"How did you know my name?" I knew he had called me Bella Swan before, when he had cornered me outside the science building last week, I was mad and confused with him and his actions. I failed to correct him, well actually I just didn't want to bother.

"I believe everyone knows your name. You are a hot commodity in this little town." Edward's brow frowned in confusion.

"Yes, but everyone calls me Swan. I always correct them with my last name."

"Oh, I guess I heard it somewhere." He looked at me sternly, and it felt like he was staring through me.

"Can you read minds?" I asked, mindlessly biting my lower lip. I regretted the words as they came out of my mouth. It was a question that I had intended to keep to myself, but my mind wasn't playing along that day. Or maybe he had hypnotized me with his eyes.

"You're being absurd. No one can read minds." Edward scoffed at my question, and almost pushed himself away from the table. I reached out to grab his hand but second guessed and placed my hand back on the table.

"You could if you were a vampire."

**A/N: Okay Lo siento to my readers who were expecting this update yesterday. I was busy going back in forth with my sister to the hospital because it was finally time for my nephew to be born, but he was just being stubborn. So I do apologise, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter, and don't forget to review!!!**


	5. Chapter 4: I'm Working On It

Chapter 4

A deep breath escaped my lips as I tried to recompose myself. I had reached the point of no return.

"Okay, I'll humor you and your vampire talk. What would you know about vampires? The usual: holy water, garlic, sunlight? You're a strange one Bella DiMarco." His laugh was unsettling in a way that he felt uncomfortable. I took a quick look at the Cullen table, and his siblings were not crazy about the idea that I may already know about vampires before I moved to Forks.

"No I mean, sparkle in the sun, eyes change from red to black, well in your case honey to black, and reading minds?" I had not known it was possible for a vampire to become even more pale than they already were.

"I think it would be best if I spoke to your entire family at the same time. I'm sure that you will have a lot of questions for me. Perhaps your sister would like the chance to kill me?" I pointedly looked at Rosalie who was scowling at me. I was surprised that I kept my cool despite her menacing appeal. The pixie vampire, Alice, was bouncing up and down.

"You'll follow me home after-school. You're right, we will have much to discuss." The pleasantry that was once a cadence to his voice was gone. It went completely dead.

I suppressed a smile as I went back to my table with Jessica. There were only a few minutes left of lunch and then I'd be in biology. With Edward.

".Gosh. How was it? What did you talk about? Did he ask you out?" Jessica's questions were bombarding me as soon as I reclaimed my seat. "Edward freakin' Cullen!"

I did a doubletake on how ridiculous Jessica was acting towards Edward. Just last week she told me don't bother, and now she was practically hyperventilating over his name.

"Jess, relax. He only asked about our work in Biology. He's my lab partner and he missed all of last week."

The boys at the table mellowed out when they heard that Edward didn't have any romantic feelings towards me. Mike and Eric resumed asking me about going to La Push on Friday, but I told them that I didn't know what my plans were yet. Of course they were upset, but they tried their best not to let it show.

Once the bell rang, Mike patiently waited for me to gather my bag off of the floor. He took great pride in having the chance to walk me to class. Eric and Tyler's classes were in other buildings, far from the science building, so Mike always played up his role as my protector.

"So I see Cullen's back." Mike sneered as we continued to class.

"What is up between you two? Why don't you like him?"

"Because he thinks he can get every girl he wants. He just flashes a smile and all the girls love him for it. It's like he's some fictional character that every female want to be his leading lady. It's quite disgusting."

"Mike, don't be silly. Jessica said he doesn't even date. And what fictional character could he possibly be?"

We were walking into the Biology and there were still a lot of seats that were open. Edward's of course was full of his yummyness. "Idk, it's just something is off about him." I waved him off but he held onto my hand and intertwined our fingers. "See this is nice."

"Aggh, Mike I think from now on you should know we are friends. I'm not interested in you or anyone for that matter." I pulled my hand from his grasp, and a few of the boys booed at Mike's attempt to trap me into a relationship.

I grabbed my seat next to Edward, but his stone cold face sort of scared me off. I didn't want to be bothered with his moods, so I flipped my hair to the side, creating a wall between us. Of course, I was still able to peek through my hair every so often and see that he was still staring at me.

_Gosh so what. I know about you. Why the mood swings?_

I wrote on a sheet of paper in my sloppy handwriting. At least it was always sloppy to me, compared to a vampires handwriting. I suppose that my handwriting would have been a lot sloppier if I hadn't had the education that I did.

Edward did nothing to ease my mind. He read the letter and crumpled it up in one fluid movement. And within a split second, his books were in his hand and he was walking out the door as the bell rang.

"See what I mean about something being off about Cullen?" Mike came up behind me and placed his hand on my shoulder.

I grabbed his hand like it was a bag of dirty diapers and rolled my eyes at his comment. My lips cracked into a smile slightly when I heard the guys booing Mike again.

It was torture going through gym when I wasn't sure what to expect from the Cullen's after school. Worst case scenario, they were going to kill me. Maybe I could counter that effect.

"Hi Sharon, is Charlie there?"

"Oh Bella, no. There's some trouble with a wolf in the forest. There's a small hunting party out looking for it now, and he's with it." Charlie's dispatch operator always sounded nasally to me. She must be related to Lauren somehow.

"Okay thanks, Sharon, can you pass a message to him? I'm going over to the Cullen's after school to work on some homework with Edward."

"Oh sure no problem gal. You take care now."

"K, thanks," I said into the receiver before quickly hanging up the phone. At least this one little detail only assured me that they wouldn't kill me at the house. If their intent was to kill me, maybe this afforded me a chance to get away. It wasn't like I missed Italy anyway. I'd go to Charlie let him know it wasn't working out, and head back to Italy. Maybe I'd leave a note, I wouldn't want to see the hurt on his face.

Aimlessly I walked to the parking lot, at least that was my intended destination, when I was ambushed by an overly hyper vampire.

"So you already know about us? That makes everything tons easier." Alice said beside me, her eyes narrow, as if she was trying to see through me.

"Makes what easier?" I couldn't help my lips from forming a thin line. Her hyper activity reminded me of Heidi when she wanted to go shopping.

"I can't say just yet." Her head came in closer to my ears so she could whisper, "I'm not allowed." She pulled her head back and smiled. She was strange, and I looked at her questionably.

"And why is that, Alice?"

"Because that would be cheating. And because I told her not to say anything." His voice sounded wonderfully to my ears as he placed an arm around his sister. But when I looked up at his face, all I saw was hardened stone, tensed. His eyes briefly glanced wide at Alice before he shook his head slightly, as if answering an unasked question. Maybe he was.

"You'll follow me to our house." Without another word, or a look in my direction, Edward left for his car. At least Alice looked at me before following her brother to the car.

I watched as the other vampires climbed in a shiny Volvo, Rosalie spewing hatred from her eyes. It was enough to make me regret ever saying anything to Edward at all.

The sky looked like it was threatening rain, though that was hardly newsworthy in this town. Id' been here for almost a total of two weeks, and the only day where there was any sun to enjoy was that horrible day in La Push.

My rusty truck loyally followed the much younger, shiner Volvo on the winding road that seemingly led into the forest. It was apparent that the Cullen's didn't live within the town limits. The more we wound our way into the trees though made me the events seem even more ominous.

The trees started to thin out a bit more and I only hoped that we would arrive at our destination soon. I just wanted to get this over with. The irony that I lived with at least fifteen vampires at any given time, and yet I was apprehensive about what this small coven thought of me, hadn't evaded me.

Suddenly, a beautiful white house surrounded by glass and plenty of light stood in my view. When I got out of the car, I could hear a stream somewhere close by the house.

Alice trotted, more like floated beside me, and linked her arm in mine. I couldn't help but be taken aback by that since even Heidi wouldn't have done that.

"Welcome home, I mean to our home, Bella." My eyebrows raised at Alice's slip of the tongue. Her boyfriend looked on amused as we followed the other siblings into the house.

The huge house had numerous paintings hanging on the walls, antiques of different eras were sitting on the shelves in a meticulous nature. I caught a flitting look at the dining room and wondered how often anyone was in that room. Every room seemed to have white walls and white carpet, it seemed a bit of a joke to me that these vampires enjoyed such openness. The vampires I was used to always preferred keeping themselves secret and closed off from society. I doubted anyone ever knew that the Saint Marcus that they celebrated every year in Volterra was very much alive, well in existence in the castle that sat in the heart of the city.

"Ahh, You must be Bella." An angel walked into the living room that we had stopped in. On his arm was a female vampire of equal if not more beauty than he. The woman, only slightly taller than Alice pulled me into a quick but soft hug, careful not to hurt me. I figured death wasn't going to be a factor in this meeting.

"Can I offer you anything to drink or eat? I have plenty of stuff in the fridge for you." She said with her beautiful, angelic voice.

"No thank you mam'n. But, if you don't mind me asking, why do you have, umm, human food?" I asked.

"Well, we do have to keep up pretenses in town. People would notice that they never see us at the grocery store. And besides, Alice told me that you were coming over today." She smiled sweetly at me.

"Oh, so you can see the future?" I turned looking at Alice. Her smiled climbed higher and higher on her face as if she literally could not contain her excitement. She started bouncing up and down and nodding her head.

"Well, I guess that's the reason why you are here in our house. Would you please tell us your story. And forgive me, I am Carlisle and this is my wife Esme." I nodded my head in their direction before realizing that everyone was sitting, waiting for me to begin.

" Carlisle, Esme. Everyone." I let out a nervous chuckle and closed my eyes for a second. Very soothingly, I felt courage sweeping through my body and I was calm. When I reopened my eyes, Alice looked on, encouraging me.

"Well, here it goes. My mother, Renee, was traveling Germany several weeks after I was born. Unfortunately, she came across two vampires who killed her one night in an alley. They were about to dispose of the body when they discovered me sleeping in one of those slings around her back. There wasn't enough blood in me to be worth the kill, they reasoned, but decided to keep me around. They never really explained to me why I was spared. Anyways, over time, I grew up with my two vampire parents, and we travelled the country, and when I grew even older, different parts of the world. I received my education with them, I pretty much owe them everything, and they loved me as their own."

"How did you know they were vampires? Were you scared living with them?" Jasper asked me. His southern drawl was very alluring.

"Never, actually. Living with vampires was very natural for me. For the first ten years of my life they were all I ever knew, though I didn't know they were vampires of course. I'd wondered about their eye color and youthful appearance, and they blamed it on a disease that wasn't communicable, so there was never any fear on my part. It wasn't until my tenth birthday that everything crashed down in front of me."

I paused the story and looked down. I was trying to keep the story as close to the truth as possible because I was such a bad liar.

"The vampire that I had considered to be my mother all my life, was very thirsty that day, for whatever reason, she hadn't fed and when she found me, she attacked me. I guess living with vampires has its drawbacks." A small chuckle went up into the air as I raised my hand and showed everyone the crescent scar from Gillina's bite.

"My father pushed my mother away from me immediately, but saw that I was tainted with venom. He stated later that he was grateful that my mother left after that, because he wouldn't have been able to deal with me and her at the same time. You see, he could see the pain I was going through, but didn't want to risk me being too young for the change. He planned on sucking the venom out, and didn't think it would be possible if there was a ravenous vampire behind him trying to get to me."

"Wait, he sucked the venom out?" Carlisle was intrigued.

"Yeah. Like a rattlesnake. He had to bring me to the hospital because he almost took out way too much blood. After that incident, obviously I had some questions. And the world was opened up to me at that point. Once, about three years later, I even asked my parents why they didn't just let me change into one of them, then accidents like that wouldn't happen again. It was then the Volturi and the rules were explained to me. My father had feared that the Volturi would have claimed I was too young for the transformation, that I was one of the forbidden, he didn't want to risk it.

Now please understand, I hadn't asked that question because I wanted to be a vampire. I was simply wondering why for the millionth time, my life was spared. Because let's be honest, every day that I survived with them, my life was spared."

"You're a very brave girl, Bella. Even after you found out, you didn't want to leave?" Esme wondered like a nurturing mother, and I couldn't help but be warmed by the sentiment.

"No. I mean, where would I go? I didn't know anything about my life before the vampires, and they were all I had. The next four years we were careful not to attract too much attention as we continued traveling around the globe. One particular sunny day, I was travelling the city of Taranto, when I happened on a flyer in the police station that had a picture of my birth mother and a vague description of her disappearance. I asked the officers about the flyer, and they informed me that it was received by facsimile a few months prior, the husband of the lady had wanted the case reopened. Every town in Europe had received a flyer from INTERPOL. I took that information and I confronted my vampires. After a heated argument, they made arrangements to let me come here, and live with Charlie. They thought it was best, especially since my mother wanted to settle down for a change. She was afraid to do so with me still human, so close to the Volturi. And so here I am."

"How did you figure out we were vampires? We don't fit the normal profile of what you're used to." I was shocked that Rosalie asked me anything. She seemed hardly interested when I began my story, I never paid attention to when that changed.

"I still keep in contact with them, and I talked to them last night. They confirmed my suspicions and told me there were some vampires that had an alternative diet that resulted in your color eyes. Animal blood. They thought it was gross, needless to say."

"Who is this couple? I've been around for almost four centuries and I know quite a few vampires." I smiled at Carlisle's simple request, he seemed very inquisitive.

"Actually, they asked to remain anonymous for now. They are unsure if they are on the Voltori's radar right now, and would rather not let them know about me. They're already petrified that if the Volturi find out about me they'll kill me, and them. They don't know who to trust." Carlisle nodded his head at my explanation.

"So your vampires, as you call them, have never met the Volturi?" Carlisle asked, he raised out of the couch that he shared with Esme and stood in the middle of the room next to me. I shook my head to answer no.

"Then they already have a problem. Should they ever be summoned to the castle, there are no safe guards that can protect them from what Aro has in store. The Volturi, as you've heard are pretty much our royalty, but they also serve as judge, jury, and executioner if you will. Aro, is undoubtedly the leader of the guard, though he serves with Caius and Marcus, two that he calls his brothers. Underneath them however, is a collection of the world's most vicious and gifted vampires. The only problem is, even if the guard is indisposed when your vampires visit, Aro has the gift to see every single thought anyone has with just one touch. So regardless, your secret will get out."

"So you and Aro have the same gift, pretty much." I said looking at Edward.

The bridge of Edward's nose pinched, and under other circumstances, I might have found it very adorable. But right now I was trying not to stress out that I just lied to them. I looked into Edward's eyes and for a moment I forgot where I was.

"From what I gather of Aro's gift, he needs physical contact to gleam anything from an individual's thoughts. I can hear anybody thoughts at anytime."

"Oh crap," I muttered. The blood rushed to my cheeks as I tried to back track my thoughts from thinking of Edward.

"Don't worry, I can't hear you." A crooked smile danced on his features that made him look even more beautiful. I almost dared myself to touch his face to make sure he was real.

"Is something wrong with me?" Everybody laughed at my question.

"Nice! This wacko says he hears voices in his head, and the human thinks something's wrong with her. I love it, it's gonna be great having this one around." Emmett rushed over to me and grabbed me into the biggest bear hug ever. Bigger than what Felix or Demetri ever gave me.

"Put her down now, Emmett!" Esme called out. Defeated, Emmett did as he was told.

"Are we just going to forget about her family? I mean if the Volturi find out about her, they will kill them and then come here for her. Aro will know we had something to do with it." Rosalie screamed. So much for thinking she was interested in me. She still hated me.

"Well I can counter that! I'll just watch out for any decisions that the Volturi make concerning Bella. We'll know in advance if they were coming. We just have to keep her from going to Italy." No sooner than the words left her lips, she winced in regret.

"What? Wait, what does that mean? I can't ever see my family?" I asked her in panic. What could she possibly see about me in Italy.

"No, Alice." Edward pressed but Alice waved him off.

"Please silly boy, she knows our secret without telling us. The treaty is still intact, and double points for me, this concerns her." Alice walked over to me and pulled me to her seat with her, which was also on Jasper's lap. I felt especially awkward when Jasper raised his eyebrows, winked and nodded at me. It was all I could do to keep from smiling.

"Okay, this may seem a bit daunting, but this afternoon, I saw you in Italy facing the Volturi alone." She rubbed my arms in a way to comfort me, careful that she didn't touch my skin.

"This afternoon, when I thought of running back to Italy?"

"Now you can see why we need to keep you from as far away from there as much as possible. Why were you thinking of going there anyway? You just got here and _we_ haven't gone shopping yet."

"Oh, umm, things aren't going so well at Charlie's. He feels guilty because he wants me to call him Dad, and I feel guilty because I don't know him as that. Apparently, he vented his frustrations to his friend Billy Black, and when we went fishing with Billy and his son Jacob, Jacob mentioned the whole thing back to me and it just started this whole ordeal. And then as if that wasn't enough, I was stressing out about meeting everyone here formally, knowing I was walking into this alone. I didn't know if you were going to kill me. Not that I'd blame you."

"Oh you and my brother are too silly. We'd never dream of killing you. Well, we don't dream, actually. But that's another story. Besides, I see you and--"

"Alice, enough!" Edward startled me out of Alice and Jasper's lap while Alice looked sheeply at her brother.

"Umm, you said something about a treaty?" I asked, hoping to take some of the thick tension away.

"We have a treaty with the Indian tribe on La Push. We don't hunt on their land, and they can't reveal us to…"

"The pale faces?" I finished Carlisle's sentence though I doubted he would have used the term 'pale faces.' That actually would have been something to hear.

"You know the story?" Edward asked me.

"Yeah Jacob told me while we were walking on the beach." I shrugged.

"See, no worries, this chick knows everything.!" Emmett yelled. Rosalie slapped him across the face to get him to shut up. Comical.

"No Carlisle, I don't see a need to bring this up to the tribe. The wolves are long gone by now, I'm sure. Though if we need it for the future, we will inform them they breached first." Edward answered a question for Carlisle, though no one heard the question. "The boy thought it was just a story, likely."

"Umm, can I ask you all a question? Last week, when you guys left. It was because of me."

"That's not a question." Rosalie scowled in my direction.

"What my rude daughter is trying to say is, it was a decision that we thought was best, all things considered at the time. Of course had anyone of my children been paying attention, they would have noticed that scar of yours and realized you had every reason to know what we were." Esme effectively scolded every single one of her children at the same time.

"I should take you home." Edward started pulling me out of the living room.

"I can drive myself, you know."

"In the torrential downpour? By all means go ahead." He smirked before holding out his hand for my keys.

Reluctantly, I handed over my keys as I followed him out the door.

"It was nice meeting you all, officially, that it." I called back before they disappeared from my line of sight.

"Are you sure you'll be okay? I mean I remember how you were in Biology my first day. The cab of my truck will be much more closed in." I was suddenly worried about being alone with Edward. Not because he was a vampire, but because he was gorgeous.

"I've been working on it." He simply said, but didn't elaborate on it. I had no idea what he meant and I didn't feel like inquiring about it.

We rode in silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable.


	6. Chapter 5: Zero Weirdness

Chapter 5

It was unusually bright in my room when I woke up. With a panic I tried rushing to the window, but my legs got caught in my twisted blanket and I tumbled out of the bed.

I moaned at my clumsiness, hoping that I was going to have this moment to myself. I laid on the floor, pausing to see if Charlie was going to come to my rescue, but he didn't make a sound.

I collected and pulled myself off of my bedroom floor. Actually, I crawled to the window before standing up. I didn't want a repeat of my early morning tumble.

The sky was grey with heavy clouds, and my breathing returned to normal. But as soon as my eyes drifted downwards to find the source of the light, my heart seemingly stopped.

Ice. I'd never had the pleasure of driving on ice, but I knew it was the cause of a lot of vehicular accidents.

I found that despite the turn of events, I was pleased that there was no reason Edward shouldn't be in school today.

Thinking of Edward, brought my thoughts back to the dream I had last night. I was in the meadow, the same meadow from my birthday. Only now it seemed even more spectacular because I had company. Edward was standing in the perfect circle with me. Every movement that I made, he matched it perfectly so that we were moving together as one. I closed my eyes as he bent over to kiss me, but when I opened them, Felix was standing in Edward's place. Felix held his arm out for me and we turned to face the guard, with my uncles behind us.

I wasn't entirely surprised over the turn of events in my dream. Uncle Aro had always expressed his desire that I chose Felix as my mate, regardless of how I was brought up. Felix was a very attractive person, and it probably would have seemed natural to have him as mine, if I'd never met Edward.

But even as the thought came to my mind, Edward being my mate, I wondered if it was possible that Edward felt the same way. Of course it was way too early to think of anything like that. Besides, choosing a vampire for a mate could be very dangerous. Demetri and everyone back home always mentioned that they had to practice controlling their strength before handling me. I would have to be changed before I was intimate with one. But I was in no rush to even contemplate becoming a vampire.

"So I am choosing human I suppose." I said to myself as I hunted through my closet what I wanted to wear to school. I thought of my human options as my possible suitors and quickly cringed when the first person popped into my head. Mike.

"I guess I don't have to choose right away," shaking the thought away as quickly as possible. I couldn't take my time having my human moment because I knew the ice was going to affect my travel time to school. Plus I wanted to arrive before the Cullen's got to the school because I wanted to know if they decided to do anything with me after I left last night. Even after everything seemed to end on a good note, I tried not to delude myself with the idea that they would be entirely comfortable with my presence. Especially Rosalie, there was no need to antagonize her if. I'd go back to Italy if I thought she'd be comfortable with me then.

I hurried to the kitchen and found some strawberry pop tarts, already toasted for me. I'd have to thank Charlie for that.

I grabbed my school bag and threw my jacket on, not bothering to zip it up. I braced myself when I stepped outside for the ice that surrounded everything in a bright, frozen state. Charlie's cruiser was nowhere to be found. I must have just missed him.

I drove carefully down the street to the school. I came nowhere close to my truck's whining speed limit. I tried not letting my mind wonder about buying a new car if this one was to be damaged in an accident. I shook the thought from my mind, since I couldn't think of a way of having a car accident and coming out unscathed.

Turning into the school, I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. It appeared everyone had the same idea of arriving to school early because of the problem the ice proposed in getting to school.

I could see Edward, Alice, and Jasper standing at the Volvo in my rearview mirror. I didn't see Emmett or Rosalie which only meant that she still hated me for whatever reason.

I draped the straps of my bag over my shoulder and I cautiously climbed out of the cab of my truck. A glint of silver caught my eye near the back, by the tires. My inspection saw that at some point, Charlie must have taken the time to put snow chains on my tires. No wonder I made it to school without any problems.

Just as I was about to be moved by the gesture, there was an inhuman screeching that shook through my ears.

Nothing that I had ever been through with the Volturi, or my short time in Forks, could prepare me for the death that was sure to come.

Tyler's van must have hit a patch of ice wrong and though Tyler lost control of the van, the van managed to find me. It was swerving erratically towards me and I tried willing my legs to move. But it was coming too fast. I didn't want to see the moment of death, so I closed my eyes and waited.

I felt my body slammed to the cold ground, but there was something even colder around my waist. My eyes snapped open involuntarily to seeing Edward practically pushing the van away from us as the backend tried to crush me for a second time, leaving a handprint in the molding of the van.

"What are you crazy? You'll be exposed!" I harshly whispered in his ear, his scent immediately intoxicated me. No one was around us yet but the screams that were surrounding us signaled that they would be encroaching on us soon.

"You'd rather be dead?" He asked me with a cocky smile.

"Yes, if it meant that you were not at risk to the Volturi. Yes, I would rather be dead." I'd hissed back at him. My anger at him was rising again. Why did he have to smile when I was trying to be reasonable?

"Interesting." He started to squeeze out of the little pocket of space that held us together. As he stood up he pulled the imprint of his hand out from Tyler's van.

"Somebody get Tyler out of his van! We need help getting to Bella!" I heard someone screaming, though I couldn't place the voice. "Bella! We're coming!"

I heard people scrambling over the hood of my truck to get to me.

"Oh gosh, Edward! I didn't see you over here too. Are you alright? Is Bella okay?" I was able to place this voice, Mike Newton.

"I'm fine Mike. How's Tyler?" I held up my hand for Edward to help stand me up, and of course he did so without ease. Unfortunately for me, when he grabbed my hand, my wrist felt like it was exploding. I flinched with the pain, and continued to say I was fine.

Edward wasn't fooled.

"Has the ambulance been called?" He asked.

"Yeah, it should be here soon." Mike held his arms out to help me from the mangled twisted mess of metal and rust.

"I got her Mike, I'm not sure, but I think she hit her head and maybe a wrist was broken." I glared at Edward being a traitor. He knew good and well that I hadn't hit my head. Mike scowled as Edward lifted me into his arms and jumped the wreckage flawlessly.

Edward recounted the story of me hitting my head on the pavement to the EMT's when they arrived, and they insisted that I lay on a back brace. The humiliation deserved revenge of some sort. It would come to me.

I was surprised when he asked if he could ride in the back with me. The entire ride there, I couldn't take my eyes off of him.

My first visit to Forks-Grace Hospital was pleasant. Of course Edward made sure that Carlisle treated me so I was in and out. He agreed with Edward that my wrist was sprained but put only a brace around it for healing.

"Bella, baby. Are you okay? The blotter said you were in some kind of an accident." Charlie's husky voice sounded from the other side of the curtain. Thankfully, Edward nor Carlisle were around to witness my embarrassment. Though being vampires, they probably could still hear us.

"Yes, I'm fine though, Charlie. Really. Edward saved me, I just want to go back to school." I climbed off of the reclining chair that I was acted as my temporary placement.

"Actually, it seems everyone is here." Carlisle said coming up from behind Charlie. I hadn't even heard him return back to my curtained off section.

Groaned and Edward seemed especially pleased at my discomfort.

"I'm gonna go fill out some of that paperwork Bells. You'll be alright?" Charlie asked half turned to the door. I nodded yes. I needed alone time with Edward. I could see him lingering outside of my curtain, and I knew he'd come in once everyone had left.

Sure enough, in maybe a quarter of a second he was beside my side.

"So are you going to tell me why you took drastic measures to safe my life?" I asked when my eyes registered that he was no longer a moving blur.

"Let's just say that it would have been a shame if your blood was shed. A waste really."

"So in a way you did it to preserve your family from exposure. My blood would have started a frenzy in the parking lot, and the Volturi would have had to judge your family. Would they buy that? I mean if they were to ever find out?" I asked.

It was hard pretending that I didn't know the Volturi personally. I felt guilty on several different levels. On one hand I was lying to vampires that were now trusting me with their secrets. And on the other hand, I was denying my other family, my past to the very people, well vampires, that I wanted to protect.

"Who knows really. Though I guess Carlisle may have an idea." He muttered

"Carlisle?" Aro had mentioned that he knew Carlisle from a visit, but he didn't say anything as to how Carlisle would know how the Volturi worked. I found myself confused, and almost indignant at the notion that my uncle was keeping more secrets from me. The thought made me want to just tell the Cullen's who my vampire family really was.

"Yes, well Carlisle spent some time with the Volturi, long before he made any of us. He came across them several decades after he became a vampire. They tried to persuade him to his diet, and likewise he tried persuading them. Eventually they agreed to disagree." There was a chuckle from Edward's direction before he continued.

"He spent quite a lot of time with them, but soon he grew tired of the way they handled judgments. Along with their eating habits, he figured he was ready to be on his own in the Americas. Though from what I was able to read from Carlisle's thoughts about the Volturi, our punishment would be death.

Not if I had anything to do with it.

I involuntarily shuddered at the direction that our conversation had taken. But before I could even say anything in response to Edward, he left the room instantly.

"Alright you're ready to go Bella." I groaned at the thought of walking through the lobby of waiting teens, eager to know how I was. I knew that just about everyone there would just be interested in the latest headline news of Forks High.

I followed my dad to the cruiser and I suddenly wondered about my truck, I guess I could suffer a ride from Charlie for one day.

"Hey listen, I'm picking up a pizza, so as soon as you're done eating, I want you in bed. It was a hectic day for you."

"I don't see why I can't just go back to school. I'm fine."

"You my daughter, are not a normal teenager are you? Any other teen would jump at the chance of not going to school." There was a long exaggerated sigh. "Please Bella. For me. Ease an old man's desire."

I smiled at his use of dramatics. "Alright, dad." I looked down quickly and peeked my eyes at Charlie. There was an ease in calling him dad, and it seemed as if he felt it. Charlie had a crinkly eyed smile that made him look young, and I could see why anyone would have fallen for him. It was a wonder why he stayed single after all this time.

"Thank you Bella." I was happy that he was pleased.

I nodded my head quickly as I got out of the car. I was shocked with how short the ride was from the hospital. Charlie had driven slightly faster than the speed limit which was surprising.

I was eager to get to my bedroom. If Charlie was determined to keep me confined from my "stressful" day, I was determined to be alone. Actually, it was more like my body was telling me that I needed to be alone.

My shower had to be the quickest one in world history, and I decided to let my hair air dry. One quick glance out of my bedroom window let me know that Charlie must have gone back to work. In many ways we were suited to live together.

The time was only shortly after noon, but I was suddenly tired. My body was probably finally going into shock, so I curled up in my bed, and started reading Wuthering Heights. I didn't even realize I'd fallen asleep.

* * *

It was easy to see that I was back in Volterra. My loved ones surrounded me, but instead of the smiles I expected to see, every single vampire was scowling. But not at me.

I was in the turret room, in the center where my presents usually stood for my birthday. And everywhere I turned I was faced with a different face staring back at me: Edward, Felix, Aro and a wolf.

I stood before Felix, who was standing close to Aro. The two of them were leering at me. Felix reached his hand for mine and kissed it tenderly.

I walked over to the wolf, and petted his russet fur. His chocolate eyes stared at me and an almost mechanical noise pulsed through his body. The wolf lowered his head down and I couldn't resist the urge to scratch behind his ears.

My beautiful Greek God, Edward waited impatiently for me to reach him. His golden topaz eyes were the brightest I'd ever seen them. He bent over to give me a kiss, and I suddenly feared that Felix was going to be there when I opened my eyes again.

I couldn't help but smile when I saw Edward still there when I pulled out of the kiss. My smile turned into a chuckle as I saw his eyes still closed and his lips lingering lonely in the air.

Edward opened his eyes at the sound of my laugh, and I was shocked enough to stop. My greatest fear. Edward's eyes were no longer the golden hue that I loved, but a beet red.

I was ashamed of my laughter, hoping my screams would wash it away.

* * *

I woke up, startled out my sleep. I untwisted myself from my blanket and the quilt that was on my bed, slightly confused because I only remembered my one blanket. I looked at the clock, one a.m. Great, I slept the entire day basically.

"How did you get here?" I asked the pale figure that I noticed in the corner of my room. The light from the moon only magnified his beauty, his bronze tinted hair glistened from the rain.

"Vampire remember?" The crooked smile returned but when he saw I wasn't amused he corrected himself. "The window was unlocked, and I was curious."

"About what?" I whispered. The notion that the most gorgeous person, human or vampire, that I had ever seen was in my bedroom did not escape me.

"You." Without realizing what I was doing I checked his eyes to make sure that they were still amber. Almost immediately I felt guilty. How could I let a stupid dream give me reason to doubt him.

"I find you fascinating really. Did you know you talk in your sleep?" There was a smirk on his face that I wanted to help him get rid of.

The blood rushed to my face in mortification. Demetri and Felix often teased me on my annoying sleeping habit. I always hated them for bringing it up.

"What did I say?" I almost didn't want to hear it.

"Mostly things about Charlie, other things weren't too comprehensible. The first night you mentioned me."

"Wait the first night? How long have you been watching me sleep?"

"I've been in your room every night since your third day in school."

I did the calculations in my head, I'd been here for a little over a month now, almost two months.

"But you were gone for a whole week after that."

"No we were still here, well at least my family was. They stayed by the house, I left for a while. But when I returned, I wanted to know more about the girl that scared away the vampire. I needed to know.

When I got here, it was like some automatic pull towards you. My eyes wouldn't tear away. It was then I knew I was hooked. Do you remember your first day?"

I nodded. How could I forget? It was the first day I thought he hated me.

"When I first smelled you, your scent was like the sirens of mythology, a demon that wanted me to kill everyone in the room just so I could savor your blood. I left because I didn't want to become the monster that was just dying to get out. That first night when I came into your room, I had made the decision that I was going to leave my family for good. I only came back to say goodbye to them, with a pit stop here first. I was in your room for all of ten minutes before I figured it was time to go, but then you said my name."

He looked at me to see if I had registered what he had said. I tried remembering if I was dreaming that night, but nothing was coming back to me.

"It was like you were calling me and I had to be sure that you weren't awake. It was that moment that I realized that you meant a lot to me. More than a lot really."

"Is that why you saved me?" It was a silly question to ask, but I couldn't think of how to respond to his quasi-declaration. Was he trying to tell me that he loved me? Something I was pretty sure that I felt for him?

"For more than one reason, yes."

My heart was pounding relentlessly, and I wished that it would just slow down and pace itself. My cheeks blushed knowing that Edward could hear it bouncing away. Then something dawned on me.

"The other night, when you said that 'you were working on it,' you meant that you were learning to control your thirst for me."

"I can't stay away from you. You're my own personal brand of heroin."

"I could say the same thing about you."

"You could I suppose. But I wouldn't end up dead if you gave into your addiction."

I thought about his words and shuddered unwillingly. I didn't want to think about what would happen if Aro found out I was killed by a vampire in Forks. He'd blame the Cullen's even if they weren't responsible.

"Forgive me." I felt a sense of relief when he moved from the corner to my bed, though at the same time, he still wasn't anywhere near me.

"You should get some sleep. Today was pretty tiring, I'm sure." He rose off of my bed and headed for the window.

"I've slept enough. I won't be able to sleep again for a while. Won't you stay?"

It was definitely the best night that I had ever experienced since being in Forks.

We spent the last few hours together, mostly with Edward asking a billion questions about me. I skirted as best as I could when it came to questions about my vampires, but he didn't ask too many questions like that. Mostly my favorite color, foods, stuff like that. It didn't matter what we talked about, as long I was with Edward.

"Your father will be awake soon. And I think it's best if I'm not climbing out of your window for your neighbors to see." He finally said.

I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost five thirty. I reluctantly untwined myself from Edward's grip on me, and saw that he tensed up by the thought of letting me go as well.

"So I guess I will see you in school?" I asked, unsure of the weather.

He smiled his crooked smile at me as if I wasn't in on a joke. "Sure. I promise."

Edward was a blur, no longer in my room. I sighed desperately. Part of me had hoped that a kiss would have transpired between us sometime this morning. I gathered my things and hurried to the shower before Charlie woke up.

I tried making up for the quick shower I took the previous day, but I knew I would feel bad if I used up all of the hot water from Charlie.

I found a blue sweater dress that Jane bought me last year. I was shocked that she would buy me anything since she hated shopping just as much as I did. I paired that up with a pair of black jeans and my black flat shoes. I didn't feel like doing anything with my hair so I just let the waves cascade over my shoulders.

Still had plenty of time before I had to get to school, so I decided on a bowl of cereal instead my usual pop tart. I was about to finish the last bite when Charlie came barreling down the steps.

"I had someone appraise your truck after your accident, he thinks that it might have to be totaled."

Oh crap, I'd forgotten that my truck was still in the school parking lot. My face fell at the thought of riding to school in Charlie's cruiser.

"Totaled?" I didn't remember there being any damage to the rust monster after the accident.

"Yeah I'm gonna have the mechanic tow it after school, so you can take a look at it when you get there. Speaking of which, I guess we need to get going so I can get you there on time." Charlie poured himself a cup of coffee and took a sip of it.

I nodded my head in agreement just as there was a light rapping on the front door. Being that he was closer to the door, Charlie went to answer it.

"Hello Chief Swan, I was wondering if it was okay for me to drive Bella to school. I noticed that her truck wasn't out front." I heard his heavenly voice floating in the air, and I could have sworn that I could smell him.

"You're Edward right? Hey listen thank you for doing what you did for Bella yesterday. I appreciate it, you know seeing as I just got her back and all. Thank you."

I finished rinsing out my bowl and turned around to see Edward trailing behind Charlie. His crooked smile was plastered along his face. Breathing suddenly became a focused priority for me.

"Bella, Edward was kind enough to offer a ride to school. I'm sure you'd like that a lot better than my old cruiser."

I let out a nervous chuckle as I stood on my toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. I grabbed my bag and followed Edward out of the door. My eyes were drawn to him so much that I hadn't even realized that he opened the door for me.

"Thank you for this. Hey where is your family?" I looked around the car and noticed that the usual brood that always crowded his Volvo were not there.

"Rose took the opportunity to drive her vehicle." Like all of the vampires I knew, Edward drove at an insane amount of speed. Thanks to which it only took us a few minutes to get to the school.

He pulled up next to a beautiful candy red convertible. "That is Rose's car? Why does she ride with you when she can drive that?"

"Despite our car choices, we do try to be inconspicuous. Our penchant for speed is probably our only drawback. We can't drive in a slow vehicle."

"That's not the only thing that stands out about your family. Your clothes would never be found in a J. or Sears. And then there is your beauty."

His eyebrow raised in question at my statement. "Well it would seem that you stick out as well. I believe Alice has that same dress in her closet somewhere. The only thing that would separate you from us really is your truck."

"And the fact that I am plain. I could never be mistaken to be one of you." I looked out of the tinted windows of his car at our fellow students walking towards their classes. I saw the top of my truck, and his statement struck a nerve.

"Speaking of my truck, what happened to my truck? My dad said that it may have to be totaled."

"It can still run, but if you prefer, I can get you a new car."

"Edward Cullen! You damaged my truck just so you can buy me a new car?" I growled. The amusement that was glued to his face only infuriated me further. I grabbed my bag and slammed the door shut. Stupid shiny Volvo owner, thought he could just buy me.

I angrily stomped towards my truck, I wanted to see exactly what he had did. My poor truck. To someone who had no clue that vampires were involved the backend on the driver's side was smashed in. There was a flat tire from a piece of metal that punctured when the truck was hit.

I was so aggravated at him that I paid him no mind when he caught up to me. I walked myself to class, ignoring him and the whispers of everyone who saw us drive in together.

"Hey Bella!" I turned my head to see who called me. Internally I groaned because I saw Jessica bounding over to me.

"Hi Jess. What's up?" I slowed my pace down to match hers once she was beside me. Edward rudely sighed as he huffed past us. Served him right.

"Are you going to the dance this Saturday? Me and Angela were planning on going to Port Angeles today after school to get dresses." She was excited because Mike had asked her a while back to go to this dance. Angela was going with Eric.

"No I hadn't planned on going to the dance. But I don't mind going with you guys today. I'll meet you in the parking lot after school."

"'K.'" Jess was so easy to please, I thought as she ran off to her first class.

At least that took care of my transportation for today. Maybe I could convince Charlie to go with me to a dealership after school tomorrow.

After getting the details of our plans for afterschool, Jess started asking questions about my heroic save yesterday. I rolled my eyes when I realized that she only cared about the status of my relationship with Edward Cullen now that he saved my life, and apparently drove me to school. I had a hard enough time trying to convince her that there was no relationship between me and Edward.

Another person that seemed to only want to know about me and Edward was Mike Newton. I growled when he assumed that since I was acting coolly to Edward despite his heroic measures, it was an easy in for him.

"So Bella, do you want to go to the dance this Saturday? With me?" He added the last part hesitantly as he placed a strand of my hair behind my ear. I tried shirking away from his touch as his hand tried lingering on my cheek.

"I thought you were going to the dance with Jessica?" I asked accusingly.

"Well I meant with us, as a group?" He looked at me hoping I could believe him, I didn't.

"No, I will not be in town, I believe. I want to try to get to Seattle for some museums or something."

"Oh well, that's too bad. I guess, there's always prom." He sounded entirely too hopeful for my tastes but I walked away from him into class.

Thanks to Tyler's van very nearly crushing me to death, it was like I was the new girl all over again. Everyone stared at me and asked a million questions about the accident. This was enough to make me want to go back to Italy.

Almost immediately I realized my mistake as I thought this while surrounded by people in the cafeteria.

"Bella. May I speak with you please?" I heard her tiny but very forceful voice behind me. I was barely standing up straight when Alice dragged me a few feet away from Jessica's table.

"Would you please stop thinking about Italy? You are not going! Every time you decide to go, I see you in Volterra." She practically hissed at me, and I had trouble comprehending everything she said.

"I know you are right. I was just feeling overwhelmed." I placated her.

She seemed to be accepting of my pseudo apology and I gave her a hug before she walked away.

"So what you're friends with the Cullen's now?" Mike asked sullenly. What was it with everyone?

"I am. Though I don't see why that is such a big deal."

"Then why don't you go sit with them then. Anyone who's friends with them are freaks. Just like them!" Lauren sneered in my direction. I couldn't help but look at her incredulously. If any of these idiots knew just what the Cullen's were, and what they actually do for this pathetic little town, their story should change an awful lot.

"Lauren, are you going to the dance this Saturday?" I looked back at Lauren and I saw Edward leaning into her ear, speaking just loud enough for everyone to hear him.

Lauren pleased by the sudden attention she garnered from the only single and most gorgeous of the Cullen's, turned on her charm.

"I am, but with Tyler." She pouted her lips to make them look fuller. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her display.

"Well that's a shame, I was wondering if you'd accompany me to the dance." Edward cooed into her ear. Just what was he doing anyway?

"Oh that's okay. Tyler won't mind anyway. Will you Tyler?" Lauren briefly tore her eyes off of Edward to look at Tyler, though she didn't wait for his response before she continued. "See it's okay. Pick me up at 7:30. K?"

He offered her a smile in confirmation before walking away. Lauren was obviously pleased with herself as she squealed with excitement. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see everyone at the table look between the two of us. One was extremely happy, while the other was extremely confused. And hurt.

"Jess, are we still on for today?" I wanted to get out of the cafeteria after being a witness to that scene. I started rising out of my chair while waiting for Jess' answer.

"Yeah. I'll wait for you after last period." Jess was my personal savior and she didn't even know it.

"Oh Jess, you're going dress shopping right? I'll come with you, I need a new dress now." Lauren boasted loud enough for just about everyone to hear.

"But Lauren, you already have a new dress. Remember, you bought it before you asked Tyler out." Angela spoke up, but shrunk back when Lauren cut her eyes at her.

"Yes, but now I need a killer dress. For Edward." And she looked at me daringly.

"So why aren't you sitting with the Cullen's?" Tyler contested Lauren's former words before being seduced by Edward.

"Because I'm not friends with them, and I only want Edward cause he's cute." I rolled my eyes as I left the table and headed to class early.

"Are you disappointed that Cullen didn't ask you?" Mike was the first to enter Biology and effectively brought me back to reality.

"What? No. I had no plans of going to the dance, regardless of who asked me." I looked at my notebook and saw that half the page was covered in aimless doodles. I turned the page for a fresh sheet.

Edward entered the room and I didn't even look at him. I couldn't. There was a betrayal that I felt that stemmed from my truck to him asking Lauren out.

"You are mad." He asked leaning close to me from his chair.

"You would be implying that I care." I seethed.

"You don't?" I could hear a smile in his words. He had the nerve to be amused. It was all very frustrating.

"I did." I needed to keep my answers short because I could feel the tears piling up behind my eyes.

"So you don't anymore?" Edward asked.

"Edward, I stopped when you asked out Lauren to that dance."

"I wasn't planning on going either."

"But you asked Lauren if she would go to the dance with you. I was there." I tried watching the volume of my voice since Mr. Banner had started class.

"I asked her if she'd go with me yes, but I never said anything about actually going myself. I was simply asking a question."

"Whatever Edward." I flipped my hair so that there was a makeshift wall between us. Though my hair wasn't enough, I could still feel the stares of Edward's eyes.

I was never ecstatic before about the bell that announced gym, until today. I quickly gathered my things and prayed that Edward left me alone. I didn't want a scene, and I definitely did not want to talk to Edward any further.

I bumbled my way through volleyball, and was slightly pleased when I hit Lauren upside her head, or course I went through the motions that I was sorry, even though for once I really wasn't. After that, I was told to sit out the rest of class.

"You ready?" I heard Jess ask after class.

"More than ready." I lied. Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to go home and curl under my covers. I just wanted this day to be over. But I knew that even though I hated shopping, a girl's night would be nice, even if Lauren was going.

"I just need to stop by my house, and then we're swinging by Lauren's. Angela is going to meet us over there."

I nodded silently to her as I piled into her little car. I was glad I was riding with Jessica because she wasn't too observant and she didn't need any prodding to keep a conversation going. I just needed to reply with a few "hmmm" and "really's", and she was good to go.

When we arrived at Lauren's, Angela hopped in the car first and sat behind me. Lauren finally came out of her house and I couldn't resist asking her about her head.

Lauren scowled at me before recovering her composure.

"You know since Edward asked me to the dance instead of you I hope there won't be any weirdness between us. I think you and me could be great friends, and I'd hate for a boy to become in between that." She said in her nasally and very fake voice.

I was glad I hadn't completely ignored Edward and recalled him saying that he only asked the question and that he never intended on actually going.

"Zero weirdness. I hope you have fun," I said with a smile.


	7. Chapter 6: Mind Games

Chapter 6

Jess drove faster than Charlie, but not quite as fast as Edward did, but we still made it to Port Angeles in decent amount of time.

Jess and Lauren went off on their own hunt for dresses and I stayed with Angela, much to both of our desires it seemed. I sent Charlie a text message letting him know where I was.

"How are things at your father's? I'm sure that might be a little rough." Angela asked me, and it surprised me that she was the first person that seemed concerned about my life at home. All anyone wanted to know about was Italy.

"It's okay, I guess. Huge difference from what I was used to, but Fork's is rubbing off on me I guess." I answered, and it almost felt like the first time I told the truth about anything since moving to Forks.

"Having Edward Cullen's interest for even a moment must have been nice." Angela winced at her words as soon as she said them. "Bella, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up. It's just Lauren was talking about it while we were waiting for you and Jessica and I was mad at her for it."

"It's okay Angela. To be honest, I'm not fazed by Lauren with Edward. Everybody is free to choose who they want to be with, I just hope Lauren chose right." Despite the fact that Lauren was nasty sometimes for no reason towards me, did not mean that she deserved whatever Edward had planned for her this weekend. But then again, the way she dumped Tyler for Edward in a heartbeat…, maybe she did.

I helped Angela find a beautiful light pink, off the shoulder dress. She admitted to being intimidated about the above-the-knee slit and I told her to laugh it off. I reasoned the dance was just a prelude to prom and she agreed.

"Hey Ang, why does Lauren hate me? Ever since I arrived, she has had some sort of animosity towards me."

"Hmph, it's silly really. She and Jessica have always kind of vied for the top position of being the most popular girl in school. They're really more of the frenemy nature. But as soon as you came, that spot was pretty much handed to you, especially with the guys. Jessica is more forgiving for it. Or more conniving, she kind of befriended you to boost her popularity. Lauren on the other hand just simply hates you for it."

I smiled at Angela when she blushed. I'd never heard her speak so much at once.

"This really isn't your scene is it?" Angela asked as we were about to rejoin Jessica and Lauren. I could see Lauren leering and whispering something to Jessica, and I just knew it was about me.

"Not really. Hey is there a bookstore around here? I didn't pack too many books with me when I left Italy." Angela wasn't too sure about the exact directions, but she gave me a vague description of the area I needed to go.

I pulled my coat closer to me as I stepped out of the warmth of the dress shop. One look at the waning sky told me snow was probably going to arrive sometime during the night. I chuckled at the thought that suddenly I could interpret the weather, or even that I was interested in the weather since discovering vampires in Forks.

I continued walking in the general direction that Angela had showed me, but I couldn't find anything that resembled a bookstore. There was a New Age store that I passed but I hoped that wasn't the bookstore that Angela envisioned in her head.

Suddenly, involuntarily, my body tensed up for no reason, and I looked around to get a feel for my surroundings. Behind me, about forty feet, were two guys who were following me. At least I think they were following me, they were trying not to make eye contact with me. Nevertheless, there was something unnerving about them walking without making a sound. I rounded a corner, only realizing too late that I was going the wrong way. Instead of headed back toward the tourist friendly part of town, I was headed into the warehouse district, where the streetlights were scarce.

I didn't dare turn back the way I came, so I hoped if I made another left, I'd be heading back to the direction I needed to be in. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to test that theory.

"Hey there you are! We were hoping to catch up to you." I looked back up to notice two other guys walking towards me. The two guys behind me had closed the distance by maybe half, and were waving to the men before me. My mind wanted desperately to calm my body down, it was screaming to relax, they were only looking for each other. They wanted nothing to do with me.

Instinctively, I walked to the right of the street, hoping to steer clear of the four guys that were meeting up with each other.

But my vain hopes were dashed when the guys crossed the street as well. I was quickly being surrounded.

I thought of all of the self-defense tactics that Demetri and Felix had showed me growing up. They always held back their strength, and they never really showed me how to fight with multiple attackers, but I wasn't going to let them do anything to me without some type of fight.

They were almost close enough for me to touch, and I steadied myself so that I could potentially do some damage. Brilliant light blinded me momentarily, and from the sounds of things, my potential attackers. This was my chance to run. Oddly, I decided to run towards the car.

Expecting to be hit any minute by the racing car, I was confused when I saw it skid and turn to the side, the passenger door open.

"Get in now!" The driver called out to me. I obeyed without hesitance because I could recognize Edward's voice, no matter how rough it was.

He drove violently, his knuckles were bone white against the grip of the steering wheel.

"Are you okay?" I asked. I saw something was bothering him as we drove away from the dark streets of Port Angeles.

"No." He relaxed slightly into his seat. Steadily, he was regaining his composure. "Are you okay? Did they touch you?" The bridge of his nose was pinched with stress.

"I'm fine. They didn't touch me at all."

"Say something to distract me. Please?" His voice was no longer rough but pleading and he seemed like he was in pain.

"Oh well, I figure since Alice keeps seeing me with the Volturi, I would bring Lauren with me and offer her to them as a peace offering. Then maybe they will let me live."

His lips twitched slightly down. "How could you be so flippant about death?"

"My family did their best but they couldn't shield me from everything, especially after I found out what they really were. Up until two months ago, I lived with death. I have come to terms with life and death even though I no longer intend to experience it."

"What do you mean, 'you no longer intend to experience it?'" He asked.

I was beginning to wonder if I had imagined a conversation with him in my bedroom. Hadn't we pretty much declared our love for each other then? Or was that another dream?

"Hey, I was supposed to meet the girls for dinner." I said when I saw the sign that said "Thank you for visiting Port Angeles."

Edward's car skidded into a turn and we were driving back towards the city. His driving was even more erratic now that there wasn't any rain. I was surprised how much I missed not driving with vampires. They had such an addiction for speed that I found to be very nauseating.

Within minutes we were in front of an Italian restaurant. I could see Angela and Jessica leaving with Lauren trailing behind begrudgingly.

"Thanks for the ride." I said and I hurried out of the car away from Edward.

"Jessica! Angela! Wait up." I sped walked towards them, not daring to move any faster lest I trip and fall.

"Bella! Where were you? We were starting to get worried." I was actually touched by the concern on Jessica's face. Maybe she was a viable friend after all.

"I got lost. Did you guys eat? We can leave now if you want." I rushed the words out without meaning to.

"Or, you could get something to eat yourself." I heard Edward's voice come up behind me. Lauren immediately stop texting in her phone when she saw Edward.

"We're definitely on our way in. You can sit next to me Edward." Lauren practically cooed her way over to Edward's arm. He looked annoyed and Lauren was oblivious to it.

"Actually Lauren, we already ate, remember?" Angela said.

"Yeah Lauren, why would we go back in?" Jessica agreed with Angela. I was liking her more and more.

"Well it seems to me you're stealing my date and I want to be with him." Lauren pouted like ten year old, and I couldn't help roll my eyes.

Edward cupped her chin in his right hand and looked directly in her eyes. "I asked you to the dance, didn't I?"

His question was enough of a confirmation for Lauren and she looked back at me smugly. "I guess we can go. Have a goodnight Edward." She waved to him while trying to walk seductively to Jessica's car.

I took a step to follow them but Edward grabbed my arm. "I think it's best that she gets something to eat. If you don't mind, I'll take her home."

I was glad Lauren was already in the car and it was just Jessica outside. She took a look at me and I told her I'd see her in school. I'd have a lot to explain tomorrow.

The restaurant was cozy, dimly lit. And other than the hostess and the waitress trying to hook up with Edward despite the fact that he was with me, the service was good too.

The waitress finally brought over my mushroom ravioli before we began to talk again.

"So what did you mean earlier? The part where you said that you no longer intend to experience death." Edward finally said after I speared a ravioli.

"To be honest I don't know." He looked at me skeptically. "Let me continue before you drink my blood." I meant it to come off as a joke, but he clearly didn't appreciate it.

"Last night, you were a creeper in my bedroom while I was sleeping. Then you practically tell me you love me. But the next day you ask someone else out to a dance, but thirty minutes later you tell me you never intend to follow through with it. Next, several hours later, you save my life and then question something that I am not even sure of anymore because it was a statement that was based on last night's conversation, and not your actions from today."

"I don't follow," he said after some consideration.

"I could not possibly expect you to follow when I am just as confused by your actions."

"You want to become a va-vegetarian?" Edward changed up his wording when the waitress returned to refill our sodas. I hadn't realized how thirsty I was.

"It was not something I desired until I met you and your family." I admitted.

"And that is where this is wrong. This is not something you should want."

"But I want to be with you."

"You can stay human for that." He argued back.

"I want forever."

"You're asking for too much." I wanted to stare him down but I knew it was a lost cause. Vampires didn't need to blink.

Sensing trouble in the waters, the waitress that was trying way too hard to get Edward's attention approached the table with the check. I peeked at the slip of paper and saw her number scrawled on it. It was enough to push me over the edge.

"Bella, can we please not argue over this? I'd like to enjoy the rest of the evening." He finally said when we reached the quiet solitude of his car.

"Fine. We agree to disagree." Edward sighed while I sulked.

Though we were silent, the tension I felt earlier was relaxing itself from me the closer we drove towards Forks.

"What are you doing on Saturday?"

"I will probably just do some laundry. Maybe call my family in Italy, catch up with them. Why?"

"Is it alright if I take you somewhere? Somewhere that is special to me?" He looked at me even though he really should be watching the road. It was a trick that Felix often did with me, and I was always unnerved by it. Vampires could walk away from an accident, I couldn't.

"You could take me anywhere." I whispered. I looked back into his eyes and I fought to breathe.

He smiled and I realized that the car had stopped. We were outside of Charlie's house.

"Will I see you later?" I asked.

"You may." I wasn't sure if he was giving me permission or telling me that he'd be there after I'd fallen asleep.

He revved his engine and I assumed that he wanted me to leave, so I got out of the car and hurried to the front door without looking back.

"Hey, Charlie! I'm home."

"Bella. Did you have fun?" He asked, his eyes narrowed awaiting my answer.

"Yeah I did. The girls found their dresses. And shoes and stuff. They'll have fun."

"And you're sure you don't want to go?" I could see he was hoping I would change my mind about the stupid dance.

"Dad, I don't dance. I am really, _really_ clumsy in case you haven't noticed. I would rather not embarrass myself."

"Oh, I guess you got your two left feet from me." I chuckled along with him, noticing other similarities like our eye and hair color.

"Well, I'm kind of exhausted. I'm going to bed now. Oh before I forget, tomorrow do you want to come with me to get a new car?"

"I'd love to baby, but my deputy is sick with the flu, so I'm going to be pulling a double. If Edward takes you to school tomorrow, maybe you two can go after school." He suggested so casually I wondered if he would do the same if he knew what Edward really was. I laughed knowing that no father would want their daughter with a vampire. Well then again, Aro had no problem pushing me in Felix's direction.

"Or, maybe you could ask Jake. He feels awful bad about the last time he saw you. Maybe you could forgive him, you forgave me remember?"

"You are family."

"He could have been, if…" He trailed off not really wanting to dwell on what happened in the past.

"Yeah, but if happened, and nothing will change." I stomped my way upstairs. This was argument number two of the day that I didn't want to deal with. The male population in my life are really giving me a headache.

And yet as soon as I opened the door to my room, I saw Edward laying casually across my bed, and all my troubles were forgotten.

I woke up in the morning with a start. I could feel my hair twisted about like a bird's nest really. I looked around my room, and saw that Edward had left. Or maybe he was never there, maybe it was a dream. I just couldn't believe that I was that creative enough to create a dream that elaborate.

No, I was definite that the events that happened the previous day were real, and beyond hope, I knew that I could expect Edward at my door to drive me to school.

I showered and changed my clothes, but was a little dismayed that it was sunny. Edward, however, did not disappoint.

"What are you doing out? Did you not see the big ball of fire in the sky?" I asked when I got in the car.

"You needed a ride didn't you?" I saw that he was covered with a coat and some gloves.

"I won't be attending class. But I will pick you up after school and I'll take you car shopping."

"I thought you can't read my mind?"

"Alice says you'll pick out a really nice car." He smiled at the thought of his favorite sister, and I couldn't help but return the smile. I'd forgotten Alice would have seen my decision to ask Edward to take me. But I quickly frowned at the thought that I wouldn't see Edward the entire day.

"Well, I guess it will be okay, it will give me something to look forward to." I slowly admitted.

"I'll still be watching you though, I just won't be able to be seen."

"Okay so, you mean to tell me that you are a creeper?" I hoped my voice had enough vibrancy to convey that I was joking, but it sounded as if there was a slight edge.

His crooked smile only reached halfway to his eyes. "I have this need to protect you. In my eyes you're like a magnet for danger, my life would crumple if anything happened to you."

The whole time he never took his eyes off of me, and I didn't even realize that he was driving. Which explained the shock on my face that we were now at the school, and he was waiting for me to get out.

I ignored the stares of everyone around us as I said thank you and hurried out of the car. He let out a breathy chuckle just before I closed his door. I was convinced that despite his words he really didn't care to spend any extra time with me than he needed to. Honestly, really the only thing he told me was that he felt some need to keep me alive. Aro has told me that before as well.

"No freaking way! He's still driving you to school! Ohh,Emmm,Geee Bella! You have to dish. How was dinner last night? Are you and Edward dating? What about Lauren?"

It was then that I realized that Edward wasn't laughing at me, but he must have read Jessica's mind and knew all of the questions I was walking into. Stupid mind reading vampire could have given me a heads up.

"Yes, but this is the last day. I'm going to the dealership to pick out a car today after school. Dinner was fine, nothing special about it. We are not dating, and his plans with Lauren are still set. He's planning something special and nice for her." I hoped I was downplaying our relationship enough so that Jess would stop asking questions. But of course the little tidbit I threw out there about Lauren, sent her into another frenzy of questions.

"I do not know his plans, he kept them from me because he wanted to make sure it was a surprise for Lauren. All I know is that it's something he's wanted to do for quite some time with her but was always afraid to approach her."

Jessica buzzed in my ear all of the possibilities that Edward could come up with to surprise Lauren. I found it to be an unintentional quality of Jess' to not need any prodding in a conversation. All I did was my obligatory 'ahhs' and 'yeahs,' and Jess was occupied.

When I entered the cafeteria, I realized I still hoped that the Cullen's would show up, regardless of the weather. I knew it wasn't possible but hope was really the only thing that was getting me through the day without Edward.

I sat down at our usual lunch table after grabbing a salad and lemonade before the questions began again. This time by Lauren.

"Bella, are you sure that Edward didn't give you any clues what his surprise is for me? Or are you covering up something else entirely?" Lauren's nasally voice made her sound dreadfully congested when she was trying to talk sweetly.

I mustered up enough enthusiasm as possible and shirked away the idea of rolling my eyes before speaking. "Your dress is going to be killer."

Lauren beamed and pulled Jess into a conversation about their plans for this Saturday night.

After school, I waited on the steps outside the door for Edward, but he wasn't there. I was disappointed, considerably, until I looked up at the sound of a car honking.

A red BMW was parked where I had imagined Edward's car to be. My mouth gapped to the ground, along with every boy in the parking lot. What was Rose doing here?

I leaned into the car, making sure that I was seeing things correctly.

"Bella get in." I did as Rose told me and we were quickly moving before I had a chance to close the door.

"What are you doing here?" I was suddenly nervous because I was alone with the one vampire in the Cullen household that wanted me dead.

"You're buying a car, I know the most about cars in _my_ family." I noticed the emphasis when she said "my." She paused to look at me before returning her eyes to the road before speaking again. "And you and me need to talk."

"What on earth is there to talk about? You don't like me, I'm pretty sure you want to kill me. I get that." I said exasperated. Why couldn't Edward be here instead?

"I need to make sure that you're not a threat to my family. Any way that exposure is at risk, we will have troubles coming at all sides. I just don't know if you're worth it."

Her words stung me, though I knew where she was coming from. I was protecting my family as well, though they'd hardly be the ones destroyed if the Cullen's knew that they raised me.

"Believe me, I'm not worth it. But I promise I won't tell anyone." I admitted without looking at her. I stared out the window and saw we were pulling into a Ford dealership.

"Ford?" I asked.

Without speaking, Rosalie pulled a sheet of paper and showed me a drawing of my replacement vehicle.

"Alice saw it in a vision and drew it. The sun is covered for the next thirty minutes so I'll be with you but we need to move fast."

We walked right into the showroom and I saw the truck I was getting, and I was in love. I sent a text message to Gianna informing her that I was about to make a large purchase on my card and not to be alarmed. Aro and Heidi always worried that I didn't spend enough of their money, but this was for the sake of having my own vehicle.

"Why didn't Edward come?" I asked as we were waiting for a salesman to help us. The astonishment that someone as beautiful as Rosalie had walked into their office was paralyzing them from approaching us. Every single guy, and some of the girls, had their mouths open and did not dare to make a sound.

"Does anybody work here?" Rose asked impatiently loud enough to startle a reaction from several of the salesmen. Though it seemed they were playing rock-paper-scissors with their eyes. Finally, a man in his late twenties decided to take the plunge and strolled as suavely as possible towards us.

I stifled a chuckle when Rose rolled her eyes.

"He didn't come because we have some guests at the house that had him, indisposed at the moment." Rose was being vague purposely and it was a bit unnerving because from what I knew, she was the most direct of all of the Cullen's.

"The Volturi?" I whispered so that the approaching salesman wouldn't hear the word, not that he would even know what it meant. But I knew that Rose would hear it nonetheless.

"No. Someone else." She flashed a smile to him and I thought he was going to have a heart attack.

"Hi, my name is Davis, how may I help you beautiful ladies?" He shook our hands.

"Well Davis, my friend here needs a truck, and she wants this one."

"Well this is the F150 Harley Davidson. It's also the show car with all the bells and whistles. This vehicle is over fifty-two grand as is. How about I show you some of our used vehicles that would be more in your budget."

"Davis is it? Well I don't believe my friend, nor I, told you we had a budget. And I want this truck. So please, fill out the necessary paperwork as fast as possible." I said with a strange confidence.

"Okay I'll play along." He bent over so that he was in our faces. "Where's the camera? I want a good angle?"

I handed him the credit card that Afton made for me. It was a black card, something that I'd only used once before, but before my name was changed to DiMarco.

Davis' jaw dropped at the sight of the elusive card. "Will you be financing or leasing?" He stammered his question, not sure if this was a prank anymore.

"Purchasing." I simply said before he ran off to run the card.

"So who are your guests?" I stole the opportunity to talk to Rose again.

"Another vegetarian family. They're from Alaska. They came rather unexpectantly, well as unexpectant as possible with a live in psychic.

"Why were you able to leave, and not Edward?" I needed something to distract me from my thoughts. The only vegetarian that I knew of before the Cullen's was Eleazar. Of course I had no idea he was a vampire then, but if he remembered me his thoughts would give something away to Edward. I was beginning to get worried.

"Tanya is insufferable when she sees Edward. She practically had him pinned to the wall oozing sex." I looked away as if I had walked in on some private moment. I saw Davis waving us over to his desk, and I quickly welcomed the distraction.

"Alright here is the paperwork, I just need your signature and we'll be taking the vehicle to be cleaned and you'll be on your way. I looked at the clock and saw we only had about ten minutes before the sun came out and made Rose extra sparkly.

"Actually can you just drive it out of the showroom? I'm in a rush and need to be somewhere in fifteen minutes. I have a detailer at home, I'll be able to have her do it someday." I flashed an uneasy smile in Rose's direction, though she wasn't paying attention to me.

"Oh. Ummm, okay. Hold on a minute." He made a motion for someone to open the doors and I watched as someone drove it off the lot.

"He's just going to fill up the tank, he'll be right back." I nodded and told Rose she could go to her car. She needed to get the top up and quick.

I was shocked that she didn't just leave, but she waited for my truck to arrive before she pulled off.

I drove home deaf to the world. I kept the radio extremely loud because I didn't want to think. It took me the normal drive home from Seattle since I drive nowhere near as fast as a vampire. Despite the four hour drive home, I was still amazed that I made it home by 6:30. I shook my head at their driving habits.

"Whooo," Charlie whistled when he came out of the house to look at my truck. "That cost a pretty penny. How much are your payments?"

"It's paid in full."

"How did you manage that?"

"I had some money from Italy and they paid the rest."

"Well you're taking it back. Bella, this is too much."

"I'm not, half of it was a gift."

"I'd rather you didn't accept such a large gift." Charlie was turning red in the face.

"Dad, I know you're upset, but really, they just felt bad that they couldn't be here with me. And honestly I put more money on the truck than they did." I inwardly cringed at how easily the lies were coming out.

"I just don't want you to depend on them too much. This is your life now."

"I know dad. Here, take it for a spin. I threw him the keys and went up to my room. I watched Charlie back out of the driveway and realized I needed to make a decision. I knew Edward would want to be in my room tonight, that is if he wasn't pinned to the wall by Tanya. My heart wanted to leave the window unlocked, but my mind was screaming don't you dare.

My mind won.

**A/N: I don't normally hold a story hostage, but I think I might have to soon. :( The traffic is there, but sadly the reviews are not. Please don't make me do that, I've already started on Chapter 9 and I'd really hate to put the story on hold, so review every one!!**


	8. Chapter 7: Not Here

Chapter 7

I imagined everyone was ecstatic when they woke up on Saturday. Tonight was the big dance, and all the girls were making arrangements for their hair and nails. Angela called early in the morning to see if I had changed my mind about coming. I immediately felt guilty because she practically begged me to suffer with her.

No, I had a whole other reason to be excited, but I was trying not to get my hopes up. For the last few nights, I kept my window locked from Edward. I knew he had other ways of entering my home if he wanted to but I knew he would take the window as a sign.

Both Thursday and Friday, I had hoped that he didn't care about exposure and would figure out a way to come to school. But I knew I was being silly for having such a thought.

I was angry that he could smooth things over for me with the whole debacle with Lauren and then no sooner than all is forgiven, he goes and hooks up with Tanya.

And yet here I was waking up early to get ready for a date I wasn't even sure was going to happen. That is if it was a date.

I finished my pop-tart, unsure if my stomach could handle anything more substantial than that. Charlie was probably fishing, so I left a note for him, letting him know that I would be in and out.

When the doorbell rang, the knots in my stomach that I had worked so hard to calm down in the shower, began retying themselves.

I regained my composure as I walked carefully to the door, but when I opened it, my composure went out the window.

I rushed through the threshold and wrapped my arms around my personal Adonis. His broad shoulders held me steady.

"Were you worried that I forget our date?" Edward amused.

"No. I knew that you would remember, I was worried you would not care."

"And why wouldn't I care?" Edward tried pulling away from me, and I could tell he was taking care not to hurt me. It made me hold onto to him tighter. I made a mental note to never lock my bedroom window again. His scent was just to intoxicating.

"I heard about Tanya. I assumed you realized that she was a much better fit for you."

This time he was successful in pulling away from me and his gorgeous topaz eyes burned into mine.

"Bella, haven't I told you how I felt about you?"

"Only in so many words, and then I get another mixed signal from you that sort of erases anything that you've said to me."

He nodded at me but remained silent as he led me to my truck and helped me into my passenger seat. Instantly, he was behind the wheel and backing the truck out of Charlie's drive. He finally spoke when he turned onto the one-oh-one.

"Bella, I really hope that after today, my intentions will be clear. You are my life." Edward's eyes smoldered into mine and I lost my breath.

We stopped in front of a trail in the middle of the woods, and I took in my surroundings. "We're hiking?" I groaned. Obviously he had never seen me in gym.

"Would you like me to carry you? Or we could hike, you wore the right shoes for it." He was offering me a choice which was good. Riding on the back of a vampire was never my favorite mode of transportation. But at the same time, neither was hiking.

"You can carry me, I suppose."

"Just close your eyes, and remember to breathe."

In one fluid motion, Edward grabbed my wrist and hoisted me onto his back, all before my eyes had closed. I rested my head against his broad shoulders and inhaled his scent. I continued focusing on his scent so that I wasn't paying attention to the swift movement of Edward's legs beneath me.

"We're here." Edward whispered.

Keeping my eyes closed, I gently lowered my legs to the ground, unsure of what footholds to expect. I had no idea how far we traveled or even what direction.

I steadied myself and opened my eyes.

It was a moment that I really forgot to breathe.

My meadow, from my dream was right before me. It wasn't possible.

I stepped into the perfect, plush circle of grass, violets danced in the light breeze that blew in the magical place.

"I've been here before." I uttered.

"What's that? No one has been here but me." Edward whispered.

"No. not physically. In a dream, months ago." Had it really been months ago? "It was even before I knew I was coming here. I know this place."

This was the first time any of my dreams had come to fruition. Which was a good thing since I've had some pretty wild dreams in the past.

"The second time I dreamed of this very place, you were here." I spun around so that I was facing Edward.

In the sun, he was the most magnificent vampire that I had ever seen. He looked at me as if he was waiting for me to run, as if he could ever scare me away. Billions of diamonds shone on his skin, seemingly much brilliantly than any other vampire I knew.

I walked closer to him, but stopped short when he reached his arm out to me. He closed the distance the rest of the way, gently resting his palm on my cheek.

I kissed the edge of his palm as his hand caressed my face, ending at my chin, cupping it. He bent over to my lips and just when I thought he was going to quit hovering his lips above mine, his head crooked to my side and I could feel his breathe by my ear.

"Isabella Marie DiMarco-Swan, when I say you are my life, I mean to say, 'I love you more than my life.' I will never let you go."

I turned my head to his, my mouth was open so that I could speak, but my words failed me. I had no idea what to say. It didn't matter because he didn't give me a chance to say anything back.

His lips were crushing down on mine, in fervent passion, his icy lips melted mine. Without thinking, I was wrapping my arms around his head, holding it in place, it was our first kiss and I didn't want it to end.

Unfortunately, I was losing air, and I needed to pull out reluctantly. Edward on the other hand flew backwards into the trees that surrounded us.

"Forgive me." He closed his eyes to regain composure.

"I'm the one who's sorry. I forgot that this was difficult for you." I whispered.

Instantly he was back at my side.

"Never feel guilty over something that I should be able to control." He grabbed my hand and I couldn't notice how cold they were. He led me to the exact center of the meadow.

"You know it makes me sad that nothing scares you when it comes to me. I nearly regret the way you were brought up. Normal people should be running away screaming at the mere mention that vampires exist. You take this way too coolly."

"I don't regret anything at all. Honestly, if my childhood was different in any way, do you think I would have been standing here with you? And any normal person, as you call them, would be laughing hysterically if someone told them that vampires existed. Not running," I had to point out.

"In any case, I will be more careful from now on." Though he was trying to comfort me, I knew I wouldn't like his idea of being careful in the future.

We spent the next few hours playing twenty questions, though it was more like a million questions. The whole time, he never took his eyes off of me and we were always touching.

"Come on, we need to go." I followed him to the edge of the meadow, looking back wistfully of the place that I had once dreamed but never thought existed. If I hadn't realized that Edward placed me on his back, I would have continued staring at it.

"Can we go back ever?" I asked when he placed me in the cab of my truck.

"Of course. From now on, that is our place." He kissed my fingertips after securing me in my seatbelt.

I closed my eyes with thoughts of the day's events; again I was troubled with an image of the meadow that I felt I needed to hold onto.

I felt the truck lurch to a stop and I opened my eyes to see the Cullen's house.

"We're home?" I asked absentmindedly.

"I rather like the sound of that." Edward pulled me into him with his smile. Our bodies just naturally curved perfectly to fit each other. I blushed at the awkwardness of my words, and Edward kissed my warm cheek. The sensation sent electricity to flow through my entire being.

"Bella, welcome home!" Esme greeted me in the front hallway. "I'm so glad you returned, I was afraid that your last visit was somewhat hostile."

"Thank you Esme, but you shouldn't worry about my first visit, it was all necessary and I completely understand." I hoped I eased her fears, and the smile and the huge hug she gave me were signs that I had.

"Ahhh, Bella. Will you be playing baseball with us?" Carlisle asked.

"Baseball?" I imagined Emmett, who was more of a football athlete, running around a baseball diamond.

"It's the America pastime." Edward was amused as someone from upstairs through him a baseball cap. I turned to see who it was, but they were already gone.

"I think I'll sit this one out." I said. There was no way I was going to allow myself to be clumsy in front of a bunch of graceful vampires.

"Actually it might be for the best. There's no way you'd be able to keep up with us." Emmett chuckled when he stood suddenly behind me. Rosalie offered a smile though she didn't speak.

"I believe we're ready. Jasper and Alice are already at the clearing." Carlisle offered. "See you there."

The vampires in the room vanished right before my eyes, leaving me and Edward alone.

"We're taking Emmett's jeep to the clearing. I figured you had enough of my mode of transportation for one day." Edward laughed as I followed him to the garage.

I honestly thought I was going to be sick while driving in the jeep. Edward's maniacal driving combined with off-road ruggedness were not a good combination on an empty stomach. Though it was probably best that there wasn't anything in there.

We finally got to the clearing and I saw Jasper and Alice dropping the bases. Rosalie and Emmett were warming up, while Esme and Carlisle were off to the side enjoying a moment together.

"Edward it's about to rain, why are you starting a game now?" I looked at the clouds and was dismayed by the swells of dark grey.

"It's the perfect time for our game. Trust me, you'll see."

We walked closer into the clearing, Alice dropped what she was doing and gave me a hug and kiss. "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too." I waved to Jasper who was still trying to stay cautiously away from me after our encounter in the parking lot.

"Are we ready?" Emmett asked impatiently.

I started walking back to a rock we passed on our way into the clearing when I realized something was wrong. I looked back at Alice and I could see that she was having a vision. Edward's face was construed in pain, and I knew that he was watching whatever Alice was seeing.

"What's wrong?" I asked barely before I felt a hard force carrying back the way we came. I was back in the Jeep.

"Keep your head down Bella. Please don't even peek. I shouldn't have brought you here."

**A/N: My Christmas Present to all of you, an early chapter. I know it's short and I'm sorry for that. But I honestly believed that you guys would have been mad at me for making you wait a whole week for such a short chapter. Don't worry there are no strings attached to this chapter, you will still get a new chapter on Monday!!! Also, to bring everyone's attention to my profile; I uploaded a poll on my page: Which is your favorite story that I've written? Voting ends when I'm done with Cerulean Star. I hope everyone enjoys a safe and wonderful holiday!!!!**


	9. Chapter 8: For Now

Chapter 8

"Edward what is it?" I had no idea what was going on, but the panic in his voice was contagious.

"There are others in the area, they've known about us, but they were just curious. But Alice just saw their curiosity getting the better of them and they'll be in the clearing soon. Bella. Listen to me, it's very important that you keep out of sight. Can you do that for me?"

I nodded my head in agreement. Too afraid to trust my voice to remain calm. I could understand the danger for me being in the clearing, but I was anxious that Edward was leaving me alone, so close and still far from that danger.

I kept my head down, hoping that by counting my breaths , I could regulate my breathing. But without knowing or seeing what was going on, my breathing became erratic. I had no idea what was going on in the clearing or even how long I was hiding.

But every time I talked myself into peeking, I talked myself right back out of it. I concentrated on my breaths again, but after one hundred and thirty-six exhales, I couldn't take the suspense any more.

I slowly lifted my head above the sightline to the clearing. The distance between me and the vampires in the field didn't affect my ability to see three additional vampires in the field.

There were two males and a female, I noticed her first, despite the show of leadership between the two males. Her red hair flowed behind her, wildly like liquid fire. The two males were beautiful in their own right. One had a dark complexion with long dreadlocks, while the other had shoulder-length blonde hair that was pulled tightly into a ponytail.

Almost instantaneously with my observations, the relaxed, casual stance that everyone once possessed changed. I realized too late that one or more caught my scent and everyone tensed up. I couldn't bear to look anymore and I tucked myself out of sight.

I could hear muffled protests from a voice I didn't recognize. It seemed like forever before I realized I was holding my breath. I slowly exhaled raggedly and prayed that my curiosity didn't put anyone that I loved in harm's way.

I held my sobs in, trying to keep silent and I was shocked that I was successful. At least I thought I was. I kept my eyes closed, envisioning a cocoon surrounding me in a private bubble.

"Bella?! Are you okay?" Edward's voice echoed in my ears, and it took me a moment to realize that I wasn't imagining it.

"Edward? What happened? What's wrong?" My voice sounded groggy as if I had just woken up from a deep sleep.

"I have to get you out of here. One of them was a tracker, and he smelled your scent on me. When he realized that it was a fresh scent, and not a lingering one, he formulated a plan to track it. To track you. I couldn't let that happen. I went to take care of him but Victoria got in the way and he was able to retreat. She was surprised that James left her, but I had to take care of her regardless."

I shuddered thinking about what mindset Edward had to be in order to handle something like that alone. I'd seen how Uncle Aro was while performing such an act but he was cold and unfeeling, and it always came down to power with Aro. Edward did it out of protection and love.

"Edward, I'm not going anywhere. I can't leave Charlie!" I knew good and well what a tracker was capable of, I used to live with one. Demetri was very efficient at tracking, even without using his gift of listening to the tenor of someone's mind. This James, was using pure scent to track me, and if my scent was strong enough, I knew exactly where it would lead, Charlie's house.

"Bella, I only took care of one, the other male is going over to the house with Carlisle and Jasper to negotiate a truce. Emmett is running behind us in James tries to double back."

"Double back?" I asked.

"Don't worry Bella. Alice, Esme, and Rosalie are chasing after him. They're monsters when it comes to protecting their own." Edward flashed a smile that was meant to be reassuring but it only had the opposite effect.

I hated the idea of Alice, Rose and Esme chasing after a wild but surely skilled vampire.

We pulled up to the manor, and it didn't matter that the dark clouds were still hovering in the twilight sky, the house was still beautiful.

"He wants to kill me because you killed Victoria? Is that why we have to leave?"

"No he wants to kill you because of the way I reacted. It doesn't matter how long it takes, he likes the game, and I made it way too exciting for him to pass it up."

I nodded to him as we entered the foyer. Edward went into a defensive stance immediately but I saw Carlisle's hand hold him steady before he attacked the threat that joined us in the hallway.

"Edward calm down. Laurent is leaving. He is intrigued by our way of life and intends to meet Eleazar and Tanya in Alaska."

I couldn't hide my shock when he mentioned Eleazar's name. No one seemed to notice, but I figured if they did, I would have no problem attributing my surprise to the turn of events.

"I hope all works well for you and your family." Laurent said before turning to glance at me.

Edward tensed up again and shuffled me behind his back. I had to strain my neck to peer back at Laurent.

Edward's growls brought me out of my trance. "She is." It was a little unnerving to know he was replying to an unheard question in reference to me.

Laurent nodded his head in an apparent apology and left through the door.

"Do we have a plan?" Edward asked after waiting for Laurent to be out of hearing distance.

"Have you heard from Alice yet Jasper?" Carlisle waited for a response.

"He got away. I'm sorry Edward." Alice flitted into the house silently, with Esme and Rose falling in behind her. Alice was instantly by Jasper's side and was upset by the turn of events. Jasper placed a reassuring kiss on her temple.

"Do you think he'll double back?" Emmett asked, keeping his eye on Edward's emotions.

"I'll see if he makes the decision. We tracked him east and into Canada. But then he quickly diverted and headed south into Michigan. We lost him around Detroit."

"Well, I say since he's gone, why worry about it now. We can worry about it later." I was trying to ease the tension some, but I was sure it wasn't working.

I put my hand on Edward's shoulder and it was as if I brought him out of a daze.

"No I need to get you home."

I looked at his eyes and I could see there was no talking him out of his mood.

He let me drive, for appearances in case Charlie happened to look out the window. I was pleased that he was patient enough for my slow driving skills.

Edward assured me that even if I didn't see them, there was always someone watching me, making sure that James came nowhere near me. I was afraid more for Charlie's sake before my own safety, and Edward guaranteed that someone would be watching Charlie as well.

"Hey. Promise me you're not going to do anything drastic. I don't want to hear that you're chasing after this vampire. He's one against seven; he wouldn't dare try anything now."

Edward's smile melted my heart and I leaned into a kiss that he received. "Are you coming upstairs?"

"Of course. But I need to leave, your father is about to come to the door."

I nodded and opened my door, and when I looked back, he was gone.

Sunday was a peaceful day. Charlie left a note letting me know that after his shift, he was going to the reservation to watch the game with Billy and Jacob. Of course he gave his two cents, and said he thought it would be nice if I came down as well. My eyes rolled on cue.

Edward and Alice came over and watched me do my homework. They refused to help me though. But they were patient with me yet again, though it didn't take me long. Alice cleaned the house while Edward read my copy of Wuthering Heights, with disgust.

And just like the many nights before, Edward spent the night in my room again. Charlie of course, had no clue.

The only thorn I had in my side was when Jessica called to give me the details of her date with Mike at the dance.

"I have to warn you girl," Jess started shortly after we discussed her almost magical night with Newton. "Lauren is heaping mad at you. I'd steer clear of her tomorrow in school," she warned.

It wasn't that I was angry, I sort of expected some out lash from Lauren for the dance that didn't happen for her. But it was more that I was annoyed. There were some real issues going on in the world, natural and supernatural that she had no clue about, and she was focusing on this high school drama. It definitely reminded me of how grateful I was of my exclusive education.

I thanked Jess and we chatted aimlessly for a bit, but I could tell that she was fishing for information on whether or not I hung out with Edward this weekend. It was hard convincing her that I wasn't with him on Saturday because Edward kept playing with my hair while I was concentrating on my story.

Despite my confidence from the night before, suddenly I was nervous when I walked into school Monday morning on Edward's arm. I had no idea if it was because Lauren was gunning for me or if it was because we were publicly claiming each other for the entire school to see. I was grateful that Jasper was walking behind us and he used his gift to calm me down, but as soon as we split up, the nerves returned.

My new vampire family thought I couldn't see that they were running interference against Lauren getting to me, which I thought was hilarious. They didn't think that I couldn't handle myself. Which maybe they were right, especially when you factored in my clumsiness and I've never fought a human before, but I sparred with vampires, and I hoped that if it came down to it, I'd inflict some type of damage to Lauren.

Almost immediately I felt guilty that I thought about hurting Lauren. She didn't deserve physical harm.

However, she was able to corner me in the cafeteria. Thankfully, I wasn't alone.

I was sitting with Edward and his family at lunch when I realized that everyone in the lunchroom were silent. I turned around and saw Lauren standing right behind me.

She raised her hand and as it was coming down, I felt a commotion and realized that Rose jumped over the table, and caught Lauren's hand.

"I so wouldn't do that if I were you." Rosalie looked Lauren up and down and said, "God, I'm so glad I'm not you."

I couldn't even contain the smile that I had on my face.

Lauren was stunned for a moment before turning her attention back to me. "You're such a, such a…"

Jasper's gift came in handy as I felt a sudden boost of confidence. "Are you're words failing you Lauren? Cause if they are, let me help you out." I stood up and got in her face. I ignored the stares from everyone who seemed just as shocked that I was taking her on myself.

"Think back to that day, when Edward asked you about the dance. He only asked you if you would go, you failed to confirm that he was actually asking you out. You immediately dumped your date, and went for Edward, who was never yours, and will never be yours. So if you think for one moment, your grubby hands are ever going to touch him, you've got another thing coming to you." The more I spoke to her the angrier I got that she thought she had anything on me.

Lauren looked around at everyone that was looking at the scene she had created before finally stomping her foot and walking away.

Edward pulled me back down to him and gave me a sweet kiss on the lips. "Rose, you were probably the last person I expected to see stand up for Bella."

Rosalie shrugged and pretended to take a bite of her carrots.

I smiled over to her and she winked at me. Maybe we could be friends one day.

"Edward just what did you guys do? Did you leave her stranded at the dance by herself?" I asked.

"No, Bella, that would just be plain mean. Though I rented a nice limo just for her, and Emmett was the driver. He picked her up on time and she entered the limo to find a note from me saying that I was glad that she was going to the dance and I hoped she would enjoy her evening. Emmett dropped her off at the school, and watched as she walked in looking for me. Her dress was quite tacky."

Emmett let out a boisterous laugh which startled me. "She saw Tyler and asked if anyone had seen Edward. Of course they hadn't. I walked in and handed her another note. Hey Eddie, you never said what you wrote in that second note."

His lips twitched upward ever so slightly. "I told her that I regretted asking her about the dance, but I would like her to salvage what she could of the night without me as her date. I might have said something about not wanting to date anyone who thought my family was a bunch of freaks."

"Hey Bella, what are your plans for the summer?" Alice asked me after everyone stopped laughing at Edwards revelation.

"I don't know, you tell me. You're the psychic."

"I see shopping. It shouldn't be too hard to convince Charlie for you to come with me. We can go to Seattle, and New York. And maybe Australia, there's this aboriginal shop that I heard was phenomenal. I wouldn't buy anything there of course but maybe I can get some ideas for this young designer I found."

I wondered if she sometime said she "saw" something, just to get her own way. As long as she was away from Edward, there really wouldn't be any way someone would be able to dispute her visions. I looked at Edward but I couldn't tell if he saw a hint of deception on Alice's part.

"Umm Alice, I think Charlie wouldn't like me leaving the country."

"He doesn't have to know. And besides, I'm thinking Charlie wouldn't like you dating a vampire." I looked around the cafeteria to see if anyone heard her, but we were definitely in the clear.

"What is wrong with you?" I hissed. The Cullen's were becoming erratic in their behavior when it came to keeping their existence a secret.

"Bella, it is okay no one is paying attention to us. And anyway, I think it'll be a lot of fun for a summer of shopping. We'll make it a girl's event, just you, me Rose and Esme! It'll be fantastic. I'll start making plans right away.

"There's no stopping her is there?" I whispered to Edward. I was practically sitting in his lap when the bell interrupted us.

"Alice, don't forget me and Emmett are leaving after graduation."

There were only a few more weeks of school before our summer break. Rosalie and Emmett couldn't wait for school to be over because they were planning on hunting around the world. Their first stop was going to be an African safari, and then they were going to Italy for some shopping.

I looked wistfully at Rose when she mentioned Italy because part of me longed to go home and see everyone. But my best friend was always watching out for any concrete decisions of me in Italy. I couldn't be sure exactly what she saw, but I knew when Edward peeked because of the way his body would tense up. So for the most part all thoughts of Italy were pushed out of my head.

"Oh please, don't start acting like you've never seen the world before." Alice grunted. I wasn't sure who was going to win this argument; both of them looked at the other pretty determined.

Fortunately, I didn't get to see how it would end because Edward rushed me to Biology.

Mr. Banner wasn't in class yet when we arrived so we took our seats. Edward leaned in closer to me and started whispering in my ear.

"You know I'd really like to continue our conversation from earlier."

My brain immediately started flipping through every conversation that I had with Edward this morning but I couldn't recall any conversations that were left open ended.

"And which conversation would that be?" I looked at him coolly; the scent of his breath was making me dizzy.

"We'll talk later." I was definitely intrigued and I'd never been more irritated by school ever before.

The last two hours of school were excruciatingly slow. Every time I looked at the clock, my heart felt like it was about to break into a million pieces.

By the time the final bell rang, I was too anxious to even change out of my gym clothes. I threw on my jacket and left the locker room for the parking lot. I didn't see Edward or any of the Cullen's which only furthered my disappointment.

I contemplated driving to their house but I knew I'd only get lost or forget where the turnoff was. Instead, I drove home with more confusion than anger.

Even though there were still about three weeks of school, most of the teachers were still piling on tons of homework. Since I was in no hurry to do that any time soon, I decided to start on some fried chicken for Charlie.

I had just finished preparing the breading when I heard a knock at the door.

"Edward, why did you guys leave from school before it was over?"

"There was a complication at the manor, but we took care of it." I looked at his stonewalled face for any answers but I knew I wasn't going to get anything more than that.

"So what conversation was it that you wanted to continue?"

Edward followed me back into the kitchen, but instead of pulling up a chair, he leaned against the wall post. I wasn't sure if this was a good sign, but I shook the bad feeling away and started back on the chicken.

"You remembered?" I lightly chuckled at his implication that I would have forgotten something as pivotal as his conversation starter from early that afternoon.

I raised my eyebrow to let him now that he was ridiculous if he thought I would have forgotten.

"You said later. Did you not?"

"I did." It was then that he sat down at the table, though he never fully relaxed.

"In Port Angeles, you mentioned that you no longer intended to meet death. What did you mean by that?" Edward was looking down, playing with an apple that was in the bowl on the table.

I stammered my words, trying to remember that conversation.

"Once I was let in on the secret, my family often asked me if I would become one of them. In fact to escape the Volturi's radar, any vampire we met, they always said that I was going to be changed, they just wanted me to wait until I was much older. But every time they brought the subject up, I told them my wishes were to remain human. Living with vampires may have been all I ever knew, but I had no intentions to become one."

I took a sharp intake of breath.

"That is, until I met you." I started biting my lower lip as I waited for his reaction. Somehow I knew that he wasn't going to like that.

"I wish you hadn't said that."

"Why, you don't want me?"

"Oh don't be absurd, of course I want you. I want you to remain alive, get married, and have babies. Everything that should happen for a human should happen for you as well."

"Don't call me absurd when you're the one being incongruous! How could you expect me to marry someone else and remain in your life? Have someone else's kids? How do you know I even want kids?"

"The point is, you'd have them. More importantly, you'd have a life. And even more so, you'd have your soul."

"I don't want it! If I'm not with you, there's no point. To any of it."

"NO! Bella, please. I need you to remain alive. If something happened to you, I don't know what would happen to me."

"But that's just it Edward, if I remain human, something will happen to me. There are a million things out there that could kill me, disease, natural causes, or my own luck for that matter. I could walk into oncoming traffic while sleepwalking, and then what? You go on living alone. Wouldn't you rather have me forever?"

I didn't realize that I was pleading. I took some of the chicken out of the pan, and pulled a chair closer to Edward and held onto his hands.

"Bella if you died, if something were to happen to you, I'd find a way to kill myself. I've read Carlisle's mind, and it's damn near impossible for a vampire to die. Unless we're ripped to pieces and burned. I know no one in my family would do it, so I'd go to the Volturi."

"Oh please, the Volturi would no less want to kill you than your family would. Aro would want you for your gift." Damn. "At least from what I gather from what my family and yours tell me about him, he seems very power hungry."

"You may be right, but I'd have to provoke them in some way. The Volturi aren't known for their patience with rule breakers."

"Can we just stop talking about this? Thinking of death as such a drastic measure is sordid."

"Can you be happy to be alive?" Edward asked when I got up from the table to finish dinner. I could hear Charlie's cruiser parking in the driveway.

"For now." And with that, Edward left me alone in the house.

**Sorry for the slight delay, I decided to change the story around a bit, it fits in much better with James surviving rather than Victoria. Plus I love Cam Gigandt so I wanted to visulize him as James just a bit longer, lol. Enjoy, and I hope everyone's holidays were great!! Don't forget to review and vote on the poll that I posted on my profile!!! Love you guys!**

**Jshai**


	10. Chapter 9: One Side

Chapter 9

Alice was right, Charlie gave into her whim and allowed me to go on a shopping spree that lasted an entire month with her and Esme. Of course, he wanted Esme's assurance that Edward would not be joining us on our trip. Esme kept her word.

For Charlie's benefit, Edward and Carlisle stayed in town, allowing Forks, and more importantly Charlie see that they did not hitchhike on our shopping excursion.

It was the longest month of my life.

The rest of the summer was nice as well. After some time, everything that had happened during spring break was forgotten, though the round-the-clock surveillance for me and Charlie continued regardless.

Rose and Emmett left as planned for their trip around the world. Everyone in town thought that they won scholarships to Brown University and were headed there early to set up.

I'd also taken some time to forgive Jacob, mostly because Charlie would not shut up about it. Our reunion was nice, I had to admit. We walked First Beach and talked about the new things in our life. Jake also showed me the tidal pools and kept me from falling in one. I found that I liked spending time with him, and often visited La Push while Edward went hunting.

I felt bad when he discovered that I was going out with Edward. I remembered how Jessica and Mike had gathered everyone together on the last weekend before school started and we went to First Beach. It was still late August, and the weather wasn't cold yet, so I decided to join them even though Edward was forbidden to go. He was mad that I insisted on not attending junior prom, and as a compromise, I told him that I would do this one trite human thing. I had to give it to him; he was annoyingly persistent in keeping me human.

I ran over to Angela's side who was talking with Ben, and when she saw me, her eyes lit up. She looked so happy.

"Bella! I'm so glad you made it. I didn't think you would come." She said from over my shoulder when we hugged.

I laughed her off for a second before answering, "Why wouldn't I come?"

"Well you spend so much time with the Cullen's, and they never come to these type of things."

I felt entirely too guilty for letting the Cullen's dominate my time like that, and vowed that I would never let that happen again.

It started to get dark about an hour into the party, and I was about to leave when Jacob and about three of his friends showed up. The four of them seemed tall; especially Jacob who looked like he grew six inches over night. I didn't realize how cold I was until Jacob gave me a hug.

My skin felt so nice against the warmth of his and I didn't want him to let me go, and sensing this, he didn't. We sat on our favorite bleached tree stump, earning some leers from his friends that he introduced me to, Seth, Embry, and Quil. All three were shocked when Jake told them my name because they were sure he had made me up. Jacob growled at them playfully and I couldn't help but laugh at his expense. This was easy.

"Do you want me walk you to your truck?" He had asked when the party was winding down. I'd stayed a lot later than I intended to and looked at my watch to see that it was nearly eleven o' clock. I listened to everyone around me as they too were headed back up the bank to their cars. Jessica couldn't believe that we were going to be seniors.

"Sure Jake. Thanks." Despite my eagerness to be close to Jacob before, I maintained a decent amount of space between us as we headed back to my truck.

He was kind enough to open the door for me. "Thanks again, Jake." I threw him a smile, and instantly regretted it. He looked at me with longing eyes for about five seconds before finding a pebble on the ground particularly interesting.

"You know Bella, I was wondering, if you'd maybe like to go on a date with me? I want to take you out to dinner or something, you know?"

"A date? Jacob, I don't think that's a good idea. I'm kind of going out with somebody right now." I remembered Carlisle's story of a truce between his family and Jacob's family, and thought it best to keep to prudence.

"Oh, who? I didn't see you talking to anyone here, but me." He said half jokingly and much more unbelieving.

"Edward Cullen." I took a step back when I noticed Jacob shaking.

"Hey Jake are you okay? Do you need a doctor?"

"No, no. I just don't feel so good. I'll be fine, I just need to get home." Jacob abruptly turned and ran away from me. I was left at my door staring after him confused. I tried my best to shrug it off, but there was something about the way Jacob left that worried me.

It wasn't until I parked my car that I'd realized that I had driven home without remembering the trip. I was anxious about the new school year, partly because I was a senior, combined with Jacob being upset that I had a boyfriend. I tried my best to lie to myself that he wasn't upset with who that boyfriend was, but no matter what I did, I couldn't even lie to myself.

I opened my bedroom door to find Edward pacing back and forth in my room, sending wafts of his scent in every direction. It took a moment for me to compose myself.

"Hey! You came back early from your hunting trip. How were the mountain lions?" Inwardly I laughed at my casual question as if I was asking Charlie how the fish were biting.

"Where were you?" Edward sternly asked. I was quite taken aback since he knew where I was.

"At the reservation. With Jess, and Angela remember? Jess wanted to throw a party on First Beach." I was not pleased that this was the second time within minutes that I was thoroughly confused.

"And what did you do after that?" He was angry about something and I was beginning to be very irritated.

"Edward, I'm quite tired and I'd really appreciate it if you would just tell me what it is you want to know."

"Alice called me and told me she was scared that something happened to you. She said all of a sudden your future just ended."

"Well, I don't know why that would happen. But obviously I am fine." I was curious what he looked like at the moment and I saw that he was somewhat more relaxed when he realized there was no need to be upset.

"What was the last thing she saw?"

"You, talking to Angela. Then it was darkness. She couldn't see anything in the future beyond tonight. Bella, understand how something like that would make me feel. I knew you were on the reservation, but there was nothing I could do unless I started a war. I was about to risk everything for you. What happened?" Edward was pleading, and I really didn't want to go through with this right then.

"Edward tomorrow. I'm really exhausted." Without meaning to, I let out a big yawn, and Edward kissed the top of my head as if saying 'of course.'

I took a human moment and grabbed my pajamas to bring with me to the bathroom.

For some reason, I expected Edward to be gone when I returned from my shower, but he was sitting in the rocking chair.

"Charlie is on his way home. I won't stay long." Edward's voice was softer, in an apologetic kind of way.

"Don't be silly. Of course you can stay." I meant for my voice to be unwavering, but it really came out as a whisper.

I climbed into my bed and Edward just stood over me, I assumed because Charlie would be checking up on me soon. He started humming to me and I recognized it as a tune he'd often hum to me before. One of my favorite lessons that I learned in Volterra was Music appreciation. I learned all of the greats but this song, I'd never heard of.

"What is that?" I asked half drowsy.

"My lullaby to you."

"Me? You wrote that?" I couldn't believe how talented he was.

I heard a small chuckle form before he spoke.

"Yes. I wrote it for you. You were the inspiration behind it. I can't believe I haven't played it for you."

Edward tended to keep from showing off, so most of me believed that he knew very well that he meant to keep his talent hidden.

He resumed humming my lullaby and I drifted off to sleep. It seemed like only seconds passed by before I started dreaming again.

It was like the dreams from before, I was in the turret room, facing the same three figures: Edward, Felix and the wolf. Only tonight I was much more intrigued by the wolf, and I stepped closer to him.

He had a woodsy scent and his fur was softer than what I had imagined it to be. I caught disgusted glances from both Felix and Edward as I pressed my head to the wolf's chest. It was like I knew he wouldn't hurt me. I could feel the heat radiating from its body.

And then I woke up.

"Edward!" I whispered with a start. I felt his icy arms wrapping and pulling me back towards him.

"Shhh. It was only a dream." He was rubbing my arms to soothe me and it was working. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

I shook my head no and allowed myself to drift back to sleep.

The dream was unrelenting, and returned. Only this time with each step I took towards the wolf it would back away, but I followed it. After about ten paces, we were back in Forks, on the reservation. I looked at the surroundings and back at the wolf, but it was gone.

Jacob.

There was an odd peace I felt and I woke up as such as well.

Edward was no longer by my side, instead he was perched on my bed and looking out of the window.

"You're father checked on you several times last night to make sure you were okay. He was worried that you might have been sick."

I shrugged at his comment.

"Do you mind telling me about your dream?"

"First can I ask you a question?"

I took his silence as a sign that I should continue.

"The day you took me over to your house for the first time, you mentioned something about the wolves were probably gone and that Jacob thought they were just stories. What did you mean by that?"

Jacob had told me the story of his grandfather was some warrior wolf that came across the Cullen's and made a treaty. The fact that I kept dreaming of a wolf now had to mean something.

"That was decades ago, before Alice and Jasper joined us. We came across these wolves, that were not normal sized wolves, but gigantic. They realized what we were, and knew that we were different. Jacob's grandfather was the one who made the treaty with us."

With the information that Edward had just provided me with, I was even more intrigued about the dream that I had last night. Two vampires and a wolf, who I was confident represented Jacob. But why the wolf now? Edward said the wolves were long gone, so why couldn't Jacob just stand on his own in the dream? Something was about to formulate in my head when Edward's impatient voice brought me out of my reverie.

"Bella?" It sounded like he called my name more than once. I looked over to him and he had a smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I asked you about your dream."

"Oh, nothing it was just a weird dream where your family met my family. Let's just say, it was a bit of a surprise." I looked down to the floor, hoping to escape any more questions about my dream before I realized I had a natural way to escape.

"Human moment?" He nodded and I grabbed some things to bring to the bathroom with me.

For a brief moment, I was relieved when I saw Charlie outside the bathroom when I came out. Of course the relief was short lived.

"Happy Birthday Bells!" Charlie wrapped his arms around me in an awkward hug since I was still holding onto my pj's.

I could feel the blood rushing to my face knowing Edward was probably listening. He'd only pounce on the chance to buy me a present I was sure. And what if he told Alice? This could end very badly.

"It's not my birthday." I simply stated. It was still August, school hadn't even started yet.

"Oh I'm sorry, I thought today was August thirtieth." He looked confused at his surroundings, unsure of date and time. It was very comical.

"Charlie, it is. My birthday is the seventeenth of September." It was then I realized that I never knew my actual birthday. My family always celebrated the day they found me, not the day I was born.

"Oh." I whispered. "I'm sorry Charlie. Umm we always celebrated on the day I was found, not…" I wasn't sure how to finish my statement, so I let my voice drift.

Poor Charlie seemed to understand my glum turn, in fact he shared it.

"Oh, well if you want I can hold onto these until the seventeenth. It's not a big deal." I noticed the thin package that Charlie held in his hand. I could tell that Charlie was hurt, and that wasn't something I wanted to do.

"No. I'll take your present now." I held my hand out, waiting for him to give me my present.

"Now I don't want you to get too excited, it's nothing big or anything. It's just something that I thought you would enjoy."

I looked at the thin, neatly wrapped present and wondered what it could possibly be. When I opened it, I couldn't help but squeal like a pig. I hugged Charlie, maybe a little too tightly.

"Charlie! You got me plane tickets for Italy? Oh my gosh Cha- dad, this is great!" I couldn't contain the chills that I felt at the thought of going home. And of course reality set in.

"Dad, I can't go. School starts tomorrow."

"Well I figured that you might like to go for a weekend. I may be willing to let you skip one day of school."

"Who's the other ticket for?"

"I'm not a complete oaf, if you want to take Edward, I wouldn't oppose it. He seems to treat you well. Though I'd rather you take Alice. But if you do take Edward, you two better behave."

I was shocked that Charlie was being reasonable, especially allowing Edward to come with me. I guess from his point of view I was a responsible teenager, and he trusted my judgment. I didn't deserve a father like him, but I was glad he was my dad.

My only hesitation to going to Italy was Alice. She probably saw me in Italy the moment Charlie decided to buy the tickets for me. And thinking back the last few days, it was probably why every time she saw me, she had such a peculiar and perplexed look.

I was beginning to get disappointed that I wouldn't be able to go. Maybe I could stall Charlie from sending me on my way.

I entered my room, expecting a very upset vampire, who heard Charlie practically putting me on the plane. Or maybe he was mad because I was evading his questions about last night.

"You want to go to Italy. You miss your family." I knew neither statement was a question. They were both facts that anyone could see, if they bothered to look.

"Yes and yes."

"Then we should go. Alice has seen me with you there several times recently."

"What about the Volturi?" My stomach turned at the thought of having to tell Edward at some point, but if I avoided Italy altogether, I wouldn't need to tell him.

"I'll be by your side. I'll keep you away from them." Edward drew me into him, wrapping his arms around my waist. I couldn't even enjoy the embrace because the guilt was racking through my entire body.

"It's our last Sunday before school starts. What do you want to do?" Edward asked.

I had to tell him about the Volturi, and there was only one place that I could think of. "The Meadow."

A small smile crept on Edward's face.

"Okay, I'll be back, I need to go change. I'll pick you up in five minutes."

I nodded in agreement, and made my way downstairs. It was a rare Sunday that Charlie worked, but sure enough, he was dressed in his uniform about to leave.

"You're not off today?" I asked as I poured myself a small bowl of cereal. My poor stomach didn't feel like it could even handle that. But I needed to force myself to eat something.

"No honey. It seems we're having a bit of a bear problem. A couple of hikers have gone missing, so a few of us are headed out. Jacob's coming too. Can't lie though, I was mighty upset that Billy would allow his son to come on this hunt. Jake's nothing but a boy."

"Dad, he's not a boy. He's only a couple of years younger than me."

My spoon hadn't even touched the milk yet before I heard the door bell. I scrapped everything into the garbage disposal and grabbed my coat. I expected Edward, but instead Jacob was standing in the door.

"My, my Jake. How tall are you now? They gotta be feedin' you somethin' strange down at the res. How's ol' Billy doin'?" I couldn't help but shake my head at Charlie's unrelenting questions. Jacob simply smiled at him, appraising himself as Charlie continued rambling.

I peered around my father's shoulder to see Jake's body engulf the doorframe. Didn't I just see him last night? He was nowhere near that tall.

"Yeah Jake, it's like you shot up an entire foot in twenty-four hours." Jacob's smile halted at my voice, and I felt like a horrible monster again.

"Excuse me, pup." I heard call out from behind Jacob.

Jacob continued to ignore me, and Edward for that matter, he gazed only upon Charlie. "Are you ready Chief? A few more of the guys from La Push said they'd join the hunt."

"Yeah, these bears are turning into a real menace." Charlie mumbled as he tightened his gun belt around his waist.

"I'm sure we'll only find some leeches out there today though." Jacob's eyes fell on Edward and there was an internal struggle going on between them. They both looked like they wanted to kill each other and I needed to separate the two of them before Charlie noticed the tenseness.

I pushed past Jacob, who only barely allowed me to leave the house and rushed into Edward's arms. It wasn't easy leading a vampire from a standstill, but somehow I managed to lead him to his car. When he realized I was in his arms, he started walking more freely and kissed my head on my temple.

The slightest touch of his lips brought a smile to my face and I looked up into his tawny eyes.

Suddenly I heard a commotion behind us and I looked back, only to find Jacob stalking towards us. Stalking wasn't even the right word. It only took five massive steps to catch up to us.

"Bella, wait!" His stride possessed a grace that I'd only ever seen in vampires.

"Listen, I'm sorry about last night. I kind of freaked out with what you told me." He cast an awkward sideways glance in Edward's direction.

"It's okay Jake. You said you weren't feeling well. I understand."

He was still looking at Edward, and I wondered if he even heard me. In an instant though, it was all forgotten. I heard Edward growl, and before I got a chance to see what the fuss was about, Jacob planted a simple kiss on my lips.

I smiled when I realized that Edward was reading Jacob's mind when he growled, and knew that he was about to kiss me. Unfortunately, Jacob saw the smile before I could conceal it and misread it.

"You'll come around Bella. When you drop the bloodsucker, let me know." But before I could protest, Jacob turned on his heels and ran back into the house.

"He likes you." Edward was leaning against the roof of his car, looking over at me.

The corner of my lip turned up, as I stared back at my Adonis. "I'll let him down gently." Somehow I got the feeling that I was reassuring Edward my feelings for him at the same time.

He drove like a maniac to the turn off for the trail, and instantly he was at my side.

"Do you want to hike or to do you want me to carry you?" His smoldered into mine and for all of ten seconds, I forgot to breathe.

"Carry me, I don't think I can handle walking right now." I couldn't help but be embarrassed by my lack of breathing skills, and I knew I was blushing.

With my eyes closed, I couldn't tell how fast we were going, and if it wasn't for the slight movement of Edward's legs beneath me, I'd never even know we were moving.

That didn't stop my mind from racing though. Knowing that I was going to be slightly closer to telling him about my true past made the knots tighten.

We abruptly stopped, and I opened my eyes expecting the meadow but we were still in the woods.

"Edw-," I started but he held up his hand for silence. I didn't dare make a move, let alone breathe. The way his body tensed up, I knew he was sensing danger.

Suddenly, we were running back the way we came, I didn't even have time to close my eyes. I watched as the trees and other greenery whizzed by us, making it seem like we weren't moving but the world was moving.

I could barely make out the shape of his Volvo, when Edward stopped again.

He was completely still and I forced my eyes to close. I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to see whatever had him so scared.

"What are you doing here? You're outside of your border." I felt the vibrations of Edward's voice underneath my arms. Why was Edward initiating a conversation with our attacker?

"She's in no danger, and the terms of the treaty are intact." I was extremely puzzled now. Edward was answering someone's questions, without them saying it out loud. And just the mention of the treaty, meant it was someone from the Quileute tribe.

I slowly opened my eyes and was astonished that my eyes needed to rise so far above ground level. Standing before us were four massive wolves that towered over us.

I couldn't believe the sight in front of me so much that I fell off of Edward's back. The second largest wolf's mouth was instantly open in a lopsided grin. It was in that moment, I knew who it was. Jacob.

Edward helped me up as I dusted myself off, and held me close.

"No!" Edward growled in the direction of the wolves, and I was getting annoyed at the vague one-sided conversation that I was allowed to hear.

"I, said NO!" Edward continued.

"Edward, what's going on?" I had to force his head to turn to look at me. Not an easy feat when you're taking on a vampire.

Edward shook his head and turned his attention back to the wolves.

I broke free from his grasp and started walking towards the Volvo. With every step I took away from Edward, the angrier I got. He was keeping me in the dark over something that potentially concerned me. There wasn't even a question of it being potentially about me, it was.

Me and Edward haven't even been together for an entire year, but I already knew his mannerisms. Anytime he tensed up, was concerning me.

Of course I only made it about seven steps before I felt Edward by my side. I looked back at the space that the wolves once stood. They were gone, the only evidence that they were there were the blades of grass that were bent low to the ground.

"And where do you think you're going love?"

"Well I really didn't see a need to be present for a conversation that you clearly meant to keep me out of." I heard a light chuckle echo from Edward's throat.

"I've angered you. I'm sorry Bella." Edward picked me up swiftly and ran the rest of the distance to the Volvo. He didn't run fast, something I was grateful for. But no matter how appreciative I was, I continued to ride in his car in silence.

He drove me home and looked at me yearningly, and it was hard to ignore him.

"Edward, I just don't like being kept in the dark. I know that you and the wolves were conversing about me. And yet you keep it from me."

"I'm only concerned for your safety, and I know how you tend to worry about things that you don't need to worry about in the first place."

I couldn't be mad at him after that. I knew he was right, and besides I was keeping something rather important from him as well.

I was about to ask Edward about the wolves, when his phone buzzed. He reached under his seat and picked up his phone.

"Alice," he simply said. I tried straining my ears to hear the conversation, but again I was stuck with Edward's evasiveness.

"No I left it in the car." I assumed he was talking about his phone and realized that Alice must have been trying to reach him for a while. Alice rarely ever called him unless it was something important, so I knew that whatever was going on, it was urgent for her to call at least twice. She was panicking about something.

I looked at Edward just as he closed his phone. He was pulling into my driveway, and it was just beginning to drizzle. The dark clouds seemed to roll in faster than imaginable. I couldn't help but shiver at how sinister they looked.

"What did she say?" I looked fervently into his eyes. His eyes were darkening and I knew he needed to hunt soon.

"Well I think I know what happened last night."

When I looked at him, I was positive I looked just as confused as I felt.

"Alice called because she saw us together when suddenly we disappeared. Which judging by what the last thing she saw of us, was right before the wolves became involved."

"The wolves block her visions?" I thought back to my encounter with Jacob last night at the beach. Alice mentioned that my future disappeared right while I was talking with Angela. After leaving Angela's side, I was with Jake the rest of the night. Jacob who was now a werewolf.

"That's how it would appear. Bella, please stay away from them as much as possible. They are extremely volatile creatures, even in their human form. The wrong word could be said, and people can get hurt." Edward's voice struggled a bit to get the last statement out.

I just nodded my head. Last night Jacob was shaking violently before he abruptly left and I wondered if I'd somehow came close to triggering his transformation. Edward said the littlest thing, but we weren't talking about just any little thing. I've known for quite some time about Jake's crush on me, and telling him that I was going out with Edward Cullen was not something he would have taken lightly; supernatural or not. How close was I exactly to disaster?

I opened the door and gave Edward a kiss on the cheek before climbing out. I'd have to work up the nerve to tell him about Italy another time. I clamored for the key underneath the eave, and started to unlock the door when I was rapidly pushed aside. Edward was at the front door, baring his teeth. All to late I saw the danger.


	11. Chapter 10: Are You Kidding?

Chapter 10

Edward forcibly pushed me back towards the driveway. My feet stumbled as I tried regain the balance that was lost. The snarls that were coming from the doorframe were enough to petrify me into staying still.

James barreled out of the house and charged at Edward. I attribute the paranoia to explain what happened next. My focus wasn't necessarily on the fight itself. It was more of my imagination of the fight. All I could picture was two cartoon dogs fighting in the alley and all you can see are squiggly lines, dust, and a paw here or there. You could even thrown in some Batman slangs with "Pow," and "Bam." I was seriously considering that I was going crazy.

I heard a crack as I saw Edward being flung into the forest and a tree breaking in half at impact. James briefly looked at me before running back towards Edward. I couldn't think of anything that I could that would keep him from killing Edward.

I felt a pair of arms pull me away into the house and up the steps. We were moving so fast that I knew it was a vampire. I looked into my captors eyes and saw Jasper, my savior. I buried my head into his shoulder, crying. I just wanted this to end. I'd all but forgotten about James, but just knowing he was in my house made everything to real.

My head spun and gradually, without warning, I felt myself sinking into a black abyss. I managed to open my eyes slightly and look upon Jasper. He was watching me carefully, "Sleep Bella."

I tried to fight his stupid gift, but there was no use. I was too far gone to attempt it.

And so I slept.

* * *

My eyes stuttered open, everything was hard to focus. I tried remembering what had happened before I blacked out. I saw two amber eyes, but they weren't Edward's. A feeling of dread was about to wash over me as I struggled to remember.

No, not Edward's, they were Jasper's. I shot up out of my bed too fast, and my head began to spin. I steadied myself by sitting on the edge of the mattress, and focused on the room not spinning.

"Edward?" I whispered. I could see that it was dark outside, and my eyes hadn't completely adjusted. When I opened them, I saw that I was no longer in the clothes that I wore earlier, I was in my pj's. Why couldn't I remember anything?

"Don't worry. Alice changed you." Edward's voice was rough and I could tell it was something bad. He seemed really stiff in the rocking chair that he loved to encompass. With a surge of energy, the day's events rushed to the forefront.

"James?" I remembered seeing his blonde hair neatly tied back blur past me.

I heard Edward's throat clear, and I didn't know whose benefit he was doing that for. Since I made it known that I knew that he was a vampire, he gave up the pretenses around me. The only aspect of his vampire life that he kept from me was hunting. Something was really bothering him.

"He got away."

I looked around for my clock and saw that it was two in the morning. My alarm would be going off in a few hours for the first day of school.

"What about Charlie? How did he get so close? I thought that Alice was looking out for him." I knew that Edward nor his family would have let me sleep the entire day if something had happened to Charlie, at least I tried to take comfort with that hope. It did nothing to quench the panic that I felt rising up in me.

"Charlie is fine. He's in his room sleeping. As far as James, we think he managed to slip in the house while Alice was fretting over losing us in her visions. She was so focused on that one thing that everything else dropped. It was dumb luck on his part. But it'll never happen again." His voice took on a dark cadence but I ignored it.

"Well, don't make her feel bad, Edward. And besides, you were there to protect me. Everything will be ok." I had a terrifying sense that I was comforting myself more than him. I crawled into his lap and he started playing with my hair. My face curled naturally into his neck and I started placing delicate kisses in the curve of his chest and neck.

"Stop." Edward whispered, but the moan that escaped his lips told me to continue. Which each kiss his hands inched around my waist. Instantly, I was laying on my back, with Edward on top of me.

We'd never talked about having sex, and I always assumed that it would be out of the question. Obviously I'd never been intimate with anyone, human or vampire, but if Edward was ready, then I was too.

Edward pressed his lips into mine, our mouths working together in harmony. He pulled our kiss deeper and deeper, and continued. It wasn't something I'd expected considering he was always concerned about going too far. If it wasn't for the need to breathe, I didn't want the kiss to end.

"I'm sorry. I should go. You need your rest for school." My eyes squinted at the sudden change in attitude from him.

"Will you be picking me up?" Towards the end of school last year, I was accustomed to Edward picking me up for school. My big truck sat lonely in Charlie's driveway.

"It's going to be too sunny, we can't risk it."

I nodded my head and without any other objections, Edward kissed my forehead and jumped out of the window.

I stared after him for what seemed like forever before sleep took over me again. This was not going to end well.

Exhaustion bested me and I could no longer keep my eyelids open. My body slid into oblivion and before I knew it, sunlight.

I didn't bother rushing through my morning routine, I was on my own today. After drying my hair, I let fall on my shoulders. I picked out the outfit that Alice specifically bought for the first day of classes. She wanted me to layer two camisoles; one white and the other black, underneath a one-sleeved sweater. Of course it was in Edward's favorite color, blue. With some dark rinse denim and my black chucks, it was an easy outfit, a compromise with Alice. She wanted a skirt and heels, but when I threatened to burn her closet, she saw reason.

Downstairs, I walked into the kitchen to find Charlie making his renowned scrambled eggs and bacon.

"You and Edward having problems?" Charlie asked from behind his newspaper.

"Why would you ask something like that?" I shoveled some egg into my mouth, half annoyed that Charlie somehow noticed that something was off, and half upset that he was right.

"You didn't do anything yesterday. It was about three thirty when I came home and you were already in the bed sleeping. Actually, I wouldn't even call that sleeping. Bella you were screaming for Edward and some guy named James. It wasn't until about six that your screams tapered off into sobs."

"James is someone I used to know, years ago. He recently moved to the states and has been contacting me. He showed up yesterday, and he started a fight with Edward. That's all."

"That's all? That's all you have to say about some guy I've never heard of being in my town, stalking my daughter!" I watched as Charlie's face turned different shades of colors.

"Dad, he wasn't stalking. And the fight was more of a pissing contest than anything. Both parties are fine, and James ended up leaving Forks. There's nothing more to tell." I threw out the rest of my breakfast, no longer holding an appetite.

"I'm going to be late for school."

"Bells, I'm sorry if I upset you, forgive your old man?" I nodded and gave him a peck on his cheek. He walked me to my truck, probably only to see my truck move from its permanent spot in the driveway.

"Don't worry about it," I mumbled as I got into the cab of the truck. I started the engine up and chuckled at the difference in sound compared to the Volvo, though it was still much quieter than the Chevy that Charlie had originally purchased me.

I didn't even bother turning the radio on, I wanted complete and utter silence, even though it was deafening. Clouds in the sky were forming, picking up a grey tone to it with each passing minute. Tears started rolling down my cheek the closer I got to the school. The only thing I felt was betrayal; Edward had said it was going to be too sunny, but the clouds looked like they were only getting started.

There was a sense of dread that hovered above me that I couldn't shake. It didn't matter who greeted me, Jessica, Angela, Mike, Tyler, even Lauren came up and gave me a hug. Teacher's called on me to answer their questions, and it was like I wasn't fazed. I was an empty shell that knew something bad was going to happen.

That feeling was confirmed when I finally made it home and I saw Edward leaning against the Volvo in Charlie's spot.

"You could have come to school today." I said as I climbed out of my truck. There wasn't any homework issued for the day so I just left my bag sitting in the passenger seat.

"Take a walk with me." Edward's crooked smile tried to reassure me, but since it didn't reach his eyes, it looked wrong. His hand waited midair for me to grasp his in mine, and when our hands met, he entwined our fingers.

"How bad is it?" I asked, not even wanting to take my eyes off of him, I let him lead me into the forest by my house.

Edward continued walking, without a word. He was careful to keep me on the trail and in the sights of the house. His face was a stone, and I couldn't tell what he could possibly be thinking. Edward's eyes were pitch black, and I blushed when he continued to stare at me in silence. Never once did he motion that he was going to answer my question.

"They're gone, Bella." My brows furrowed in confusion, who was he talking about? Maybe he got rid of James, but then again, why would he say 'they?'

"My family. We're leaving. Our world is too dangerous for you to be involved. Look what happened yesterday."

"Edward, stop! James wasn't the first vampire that's tried to kill me." I held up the scar on my hand to remind him how idiotic he was being.

"Bella, no. Your family sent you here to live a normal life to separate you from theirs. It would be selfish of me to ignore that."

"I'm coming with you."

"I don't want you to. I don't want you. It was a stupid bet from Jasper and Emmett. I never wanted you."

He said the very words I'd never thought I'd hear from him. He didn't want me, he never did. Immediately, I could see him and his three brothers sitting in the den, bored out of their minds. One of them mention me to Edward, and initiate a bet.

I took a step back away from him, the monster that stood before me. "A bet? You were all in on it?" I couldn't imagine Carlisle and Esme knowing about the prank of their sons. What about Alice? Did she only pretend to be my friend, my _best_ friend?

"No. It was just us three. But everyone agreed that we couldn't put you in danger any longer. We're leaving to avoid that. You can no longer be in our world. It's what's best for you."

"Shouldn't I decide what's best for me? Make me a vampire!" I demanded. I didn't even care that I was stomping my foot like a two year old. "We can be together." My words came out as a whisper.

"I won't be together with you anymore Bella. Everything was a mistake. Promise me this, you won't run off to your family in Italy and make them change you. Charlie would be devastated that he lost you so soon to finding you."

"You're worried about Charlie. What about me? What about us?" My mind was refusing to let go of Edward, despite the heartache and his words.

"There. Is. No. Us. It'll be like me and my family never existed."

Edward took a step towards me, his arm raised to reach for me, and I froze. I could feel myself breaking down, and there was absolutely nothing that I could do about it. I looked up into his face, and I could see that he was fixing it to give me a kiss.

"No!" I backed away from him quickly and held my hands out on instinct. I knew I was hurt, but it wasn't until I heard the growl in my voice that I knew I was mad. "Don't touch me ever again. If you want a clean break, then do it. Don't give me a Judas' kiss."

We stood facing each other in silence for what seemed like an eternity. My teeth clenched and my eyes felt like they were on fire. Edward had hurt me and he knew it, but I refused to let him see me cry.

"You're right. Forgive me." There was no one in front of me. He was gone. In the first moment that I realized I was alone, it was then that I broke down. I fell to my knees, distressed that my first love had lied to me all this time. I was merely a bet.

My heart kept trying to reason with me, soothe me by saying he only said those things so that I could move on without him. He wanted to protect me, and the only way I'd let go was to lie to me, though he was in love with me still and always.

"Did you not hear what he said?" That was the only thing my mind had left to scream at my stupid heart. I wanted nothing more than to try to run after him but I knew there was no use.

I cried the rest of my tears on the forest floor and made my way back to the house. Thankfully, Charlie wasn't home yet so I called the station.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Charlie asked hurriedly with worry.

"Nothing, dad. I'm fine, I guess. Just tired. I was just wondering if you could pick up a pizza. I'm pretty beat."

Charlie took his time answering me, knowing I wasn't a fan of the pizza here in Forks. After a hesitant pause of one minute, Charlie finally spoke up.

"Sure kiddo." It was so easy to please him. He asked me how my first day went and thankfully he didn't have any questions about Edward.

I couldn't stand the thought of being alone in my bedroom, but I didn't want to sit alone downstairs. Every room of this house had a few memories of Edward, except the bathroom and Charlie's room. Regardless, I dragged my feet to my bedroom, fell into the bed, and buried my head in my pillows.

But it was too much. His scent lingered in the sheets and my pillows and it was unbearable. Clean break my ass. With a sudden boost of energy, I hopped out of bed and stripped the mattress of my comforter, sheets, and pillow cases and threw them into the wash. I swapped my pillows for two that were in Charlie's room and brought down fresh linens from the closet.

I opened the window to allow what little was left of his scent would vanish with the wind, though I didn't leave it open for long since the temperature had changed.

I laid back on the bed and thought of nothing but Edward. I prayed that this was going to be the only night I mourned for a love that meant absolutely nothing.

And then I drifted to sleep.

October.

November.

December.

January.

"All right now, what is going on with you?" Charlie huffed when I returned home from work one evening. I had picked up a job at Newton's Outfitters, home of the best camping gear in the Olympic Peninsula.

Mike had mentioned one day how his family's store was going to be hiring and I told him I wanted it. I started working there in the middle of November. His mom was delighted that there was another female working there. I wasn't too knowledgeable about the equipment that they sold, but it was something to do.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Charlie was sitting in the corner of the living room watching me start to prepare dinner.

"You've barely stopped moving since the Cullen's left. The only time you're still is when you're sleeping. You ain't on any drugs, are you?" He looked at me skeptically.

"God, Charlie, no. I'm not on any drugs. I just want to keep busy that's all." I wasn't even lying to him then.

The first night I was practically catatonic with the pain that accompanied a love lost. But I was determined. But after that night, I refused to cry another tear for Edward or the Cullen's for that matter. I was just a human pawn, they made their own decisions, and it was time I made my own as well.

To keep myself busy, along with the job at the store, I also changed my schedule to include more AP classes, and I was also tutoring some of the students in Italian and Calculus. I kept the dreams and nightmares away by taking Nyquil every night, without Charlie knowing. I could still feel the pain but no one would ever know it.

"And why do you feel the need to be busy? Bella, this isn't healthy for you. You're body will need the rest eventually, you can't keep this marathon up. Now I know it's because of that boy leaving, and believe me I'm much more glad that you're like this," he raised his arms at me to bring attention to my actions. "…than say a zombie."

I didn't realize that I was feeling so antsy. I thought I had everyone fooled into thinking I was over Edward. Of course my sudden status change only made some of the guys at school think I was open to the dating scene again. With each invitation to the school dances, dinner, or the movies, it felt like I was the new student again.

"Well, are you sure you don't want me as a zombie? I can do that. I'll quit everything and just go through the motions. Because that's what it seems you want. You keep saying that it's not healthy, but I'm functioning the only way I know how to function!"

"Bella, easy. Calm down. I'm only trying to look out for you darling. I just want what's best for you."

I heard his words echoing in my head. They were swirling around, making me dizzy enough that I dropped the cucumber I was about to peel.

"You know what, maybe I will go to bed early." My words were just above a whisper and I didn't even wait for a response from Charlie. I just turned in the direction of the steps and headed towards my room.

Charlie's words struck a chord with me. The last four months, five if you counted September, I'd managed to keep my mind off of that horrible day. I was successful until Charlie said the same words that Edward had said to me.

I fell asleep crying, wishing everyone stopped worrying about what was best for me. I had my first nightmare that night.

The wind was blowing my hair as the guard was standing behind me, but I couldn't see their bodies. I only knew they were there by the sea of red eyes that were shrouded by the deep robes of the Volturi. I could see I was still human by the color of my eyes, but my skin looked just as flawless as a vampire's skin.

I lifted my left hand pointing, accusing, a large circle of about twenty people, no vampires. I tried looking into their faces, but I couldn't, a shadow was blocking them from me. My hand stopped moving, parallel to the floor, and a ring of fire started consuming the vampires one by one. It wasn't until their screams that I recognized who some of them were. The Cullen's.

"What have I done?" I screamed! But when I turned to look at the guard, I was no longer standing on the platform, but now I was in the middle of the fire. A piercing noise rang through my entire body and it took me a minute to realize that it was my own screams that I heard.

I woke up with a start and slammed my hand on the alarm clock. My breathing was shaky as I tried to calm myself down. I waited a few minutes to regulate my heartbeats before getting out of bed. Today had to be a good day to counter last night, I kept telling myself. I hoped that I could believe my own lie.

I didn't care what I wore to school today, it was Friday and the dark sky matched my mood, so I chose my dark grey sweat pants and a dark blue tank. I threw on a yellow hoodie, my denim jacket, and white sneakers and walked downstairs.

"Your nightmares are starting up again." Charlie said while pouring a cup of coffee.

"Thanks for stating the obvious." I grabbed my books and placed them in my school bag.

"Look dad. I get that you're worried about me. But I've let go of Edward, and I'm moving on the best way I know how. Maybe I am keeping busy to avoid the pain, maybe I'm not. So if it makes you feel better, I'll quit working at the store."

"Aww, baby, I don't want you to quit. I just, I think maybe if you're holding on to whatever pain you're feeling and then covering it up with busy work, maybe you need to speak to a therapist."

"I don't need a therapist. What I need is to go to school." I took a piece of toast off of the plate that sat in front of Charlie, and shook my bag onto my shoulders.

I'd decided that I was better off just continuing my previous plan of acting as if nothing was wrong. It's worked so far. Even though up until last night, I had convinced myself that I was fine. Eventually I needed to figure out if I really was fine.

I turned the radio up loud enough so that I couldn't think. It was something that had become part of my routine to keep me from thinking. Obviously when I was left alone to think, I thought of them more. I knew I would need to sooner or later, but I'd prefer as late as possible.

The parking lot was pretty full so I had to look for a spot towards the back of the lot. I waved to everyone as I walked towards the building. I stopped to talk to Jessica and Mike who were hanging out by Tyler's car. Jess tried filling me in on the latest gossip of Forks High, but Angela thankfully saved me from stories that she's probably heard already.

We walked together to our Calculus class, something neither of us were too pleased to have any type of math for first period. Angela was already scheduled for this class, this was one of the classes that I switched to.

"Have ya'll seen the new guy yet?" Ben, Angela's boyfriend asked when he grabbed a seat behind us.

"There's a new student?" I asked. I was the last new student that the high school had, and some people still treated me like I was the hot commodity. Lauren swore that it was only because I was from Italy that made me so exotic. If there was a new student maybe it could help alleviate some of the stares that still came my way.

"Yeah he's not registered yet, he's folks aren't sure if they're moving here yet, and Principal Green allowed him to attend classes to see how he likes the curriculum or something." Ben seemed amazed since that wasn't something that really happened every day.

"If someone had a choice, I wouldn't come to Forks." Angela mumbled under her breath so that only me and Ben heard her.

"Yeah I hear you. The first chance I get I'm out of this town. I already have my acceptance to the University of Washington. Where are you going Bella?" Eric materialized next to Ben and took his seat.

I let out a sigh, "I'm going back to Italy. I'll be at the Universita degli Studi di Roma."

"La Sapienza?" I looked at Angela like she was crazy. "What don't look at me like that. I kind of always wanted to visit Rome, never thought of going to school there, but it's the largest university in Europe. There's a lot of history there, and I read a lot."

Ben and I laughed at Angela as she feigned like she was hurt. Mr. Tarro came into the classroom and started class.

I prepared myself to be bored out of my mind for class, but moments after Mr. Tarro started the lesson, Principal Green entered the room. He whispered in the ear of Mr. Tarro, and he did not look happy about whatever it was.

Finally, Mr. Tarro had a resolved look and nodded his head.

"Eric?" Principal Green's loud voice brought everyone to attention including the pimply kid that was sitting behind me. Eric looked up and everyone could see that he was confused as to why he was being called.

"Eric, I am placing under your care a prospective student. Now I want him to follow you around for the day since you're the class president. Come on in son." Mr. Green waved the boy into the room.

I could hear every female sucking in their breath, waiting to see the mysterious new student. I could tell many of them were hoping that he was single, and cute. The guys were probably hoping there was a sister not too far behind in age.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me."

**A/N: Don't forget to vote for your favorite story on my profile!!**


	12. Chapter 11: Old Friend

Chapter 11

I watched him as he crossed the room and eyed Eric up and down.

"Pleasure to meet you." I stifled my laughter as Eric looked on like he had two heads.

"Class," Principal Green started. "This is Felix Voltero, he will be joining you today, s let's give him a Forks welcome." Mr. Green looked uncomfortable around Felix, as he should. Most humans were unconsciously aware of the danger they were in around vampires.

I stared at Felix as he walked nonchalantly behind Eric to his chair. Ben promptly raised from his desk and found a new chair so that Felix could sit next to Eric.

Mr. Tarro started class and unfortunately, there was no way that I could speak with Felix because of the way our chairs were positioned. But knowing that Felix was in arms reach, I couldn't concentrate on a single word.

"Do you know him?" Angela whispered. I pretended that I hadn't heard her, and when she repeated it, Mr. Tarro thankfully distracted her with a question. I wasn't sure how to answer the question since I didn't know why he was here.

Of course the distraction didn't last long, it was a free for all when the bell rang.

"So Bella, long time no see?" I turned at the angelic sound of Felix's voice. So it appeared that whatever his cover was, we at least knew each other. "I've missed you."

"Yeah Felix. I've missed you too." I gathered my things, but Felix took my books from me. He wasn't at all interested in the whispers of the students around us. I, however, was very much aware of them, and the proximity of Felix's body as we walked down the hallway.

"So, what are you doing here?" I whispered. The hallway was crowded with loud teenagers, but I knew with his enhanced hearing, he would have no problems.

"Your uncles sent me to check on you. Charlie has told us that you broke up with your boyfriend and that you were in pain." Felix had an air of mock sympathy, he even placed his hands over his heart.

"What do you mean, you talk to Charlie?"

"Not me personally. But he's spoken with Aro. Since you've been here, they speak about once a month. And since you stopped calling, Aro has more of a relationship with your father than you, he feels."

"Dude come on! Our class is in a different building than hers and we're gonna be late." Eric interrupted our conversation, and for the moment I was brought back to reality. I hurried to my Oceanography class, allowing one more glimpse of Felix as he followed Eric to whatever class they had next.

I didn't see Felix till lunch.

Of course, by then, the news that the two new kids knew each other was a big hit. Especially amongst Jessica and Lauren. It seemed to eat Lauren apart that yet another gorgeous member of the male population preferred my company.

I walked into the cafeteria, expecting to see Felix at the table with everyone else, but nope. Everyone was there alright, except him. I made my way over to the table and caught Eric's attention.

"Hey hey, Bella! We're planning another trip to La Push. You in?"

Eric had a big smile plastered to his face, but I ignored the question.

"Eric, where is the guy that was with you?"

"Oh Felix? Yo, man that dude is weird! Sometimes it seems like he doesn't move. But he seemed pretty interested in you. You two know each other?" Eric asked. I saw the mouths of Mike and Tyler drop at the mention that someone had already taken an interest in me. They were unbelievable, it was like they expected everyone to respect this unknown claim they had on me.

"Where is he?" I insisted.

"He's not here. I thought he would be here." I guess I had a puzzled look on my face because he finally continued. "The dude said he was hungry and so I told him how to get here, but he wasn't here when I showed up. Haven't seen him since."

Eric shrugged and went back to his conversation with Mike and Tyler about their plans for the upcoming weekend. I caught bits and pieces of the girls' conversation about the new kid, Felix, though I wasn't surprised my name popped up a few times.

I was too busy scanning the crowd for the newest vampire resident.

"Looking for me Bella?" I heard his charming voice behind me, and I spun around quickly, almost losing my balance.

"How about we find a less crowded table." I knew Felix wasn't asking me, more like suggesting. We found a table that was empty by the wall. I felt eyes on us from everyone in the cafeteria, watching us as we were settling ourselves.

"You know you really should learn how to blend with humans before you join them like this." I mentioned accusingly. Though Felix and the guard dealt with humans, they never really needed to blend with humans long enough to pick up the minute details, like breathing or blinking. The Cullen's however, had perfected it to an art.

They were very good liars I suppose.

"And why is that pet? I'm better than all of them. I can snap all of their necks in two, before the last one even notices the first, if I so desire it."

I leaned back against the wall and crossed my arms at his audacity. "Some of them are my friends, does that make you better than me too?"

"You? My Bella? Never. But you are better than them." I shook my head in disbelief.

"Bella, I did not come here to fight. Which I know I have upset you with my comments. If you cannot forgive me of them, please allow me to explain why I'm here."

I nodded for him to continue.

"As I stated earlier, when we stopped receiving phone calls from you, Master has gotten quite worried. After all, he thinks of you more like a daughter versus as a niece. Anyways, once your calls stopped, Aro began speaking to your father more than the once a month stipulation that was agreed upon when you were returned. Your father spoke of his concerns of your behavior due to a boy." He said 'a boy' with such disgust and contempt.

"He wasn't just a boy Felix, he was a vampire."

"Yes, Edward Cullen. Carlisle's been busy. But I digress, Aro sent me here to see how you were holding up. My job is to simply observe and report."

"Eric said you were hungry. Who did you eat?"

"You've never cared to know about my victims before. Why start now?"

"You've never hunted in an area I lived in and know your victims. I want to send flowers or do something nice for the family that will be grieving."

Felix let out a soft little laugh. "Do not worry your pretty little head, I tried a new diet today. For what it's worth, it's disgusting. But I can see why it holds a certain appeal to those who are opposed to the natural food chain."

I narrowed my eyes at him and noticed the silence that had enveloped us.

"Oh crap, how late are we?" I asked as I slung the strap of my bag over my shoulder.

"Everyone left about twenty minutes ago." My mouth gapped open in shock. There was no way I could justify being that late. "Let's just go. You can give me a tour of your new home."

Felix followed me to my truck and hopped into the passenger seat. I made my way down Main Street.

"A Ford isn't a Ferrari, that's for sure." He was smug and he was really beginning to aggravate me.

"Why the hell do you do that? You put everything about my life down. Just stop it. Please."

"Forgive me Bella. But in my defense, this isn't your life. You have power at your fingertips and you turn your back on it."

"It's a life that I choose for myself, which is more than I can say for you."

"You didn't choose this Bella, don't kid yourself. You really think Aro one day found out about your father? He's known, of the Great Police Chief's search for his daughter and his estranged wife the second he drank from your mother."

I was thankful I had just finished parking in front of Charlie's house because Felix's words stunned me. I placed my head on the steering wheel as the pain coursed through my body. It started from my heart and I could feel the scorching heat spread out to my limbs.

I was concentrating on my breathing when I felt Felix open the door and pull me out of the truck. I buried my head in his neck as he carried me through the front door. My keys clattered to the table as he threw them down.

Felix sat me down on the couch as he perched himself in Charlie's recliner.

"Why did you tell me those things?" I said after several minutes of recomposing myself.

"I shouldn't have. Forgive me." I felt like everyone was asking me for my forgiveness lately.

"Bella?" Charlie entered the house. Without really listening for it, I had his routine down packed. First he'd take off his jacket, then his gun belt would get hung.

"Hello Chief Swan. I am Felix, my uncle sent me here to check on Bella."

"Oh, yes. I've been expecting you. Though not quite so promptly. He only asked permission for a visit yesterday." Charlie readjusted his stance so that he wasn't quite so defensive. He looked towards me to make sure I was okay. He could see that I wasn't in danger, and was satisfied. If he only knew that with Felix there, I would never be in any danger.

"I was already visiting the states, so of course when Uncle Aro asked me to be here for Bella, I couldn't refuse. We grew up as cousins, but Isabella is more like a sister to me. I grew concerned when he told me that she was not herself."

I rolled my eyes at Felix's attempt to be the concerned family member. He was laying it on so thick.

"Well, can I get you something to eat? Bella?" Despite not really having a breakfast, and absolutely nothing for lunch, I found myself not hungry. Sometimes I thought I was better suited to be a vampire than a human.

"No, no. I couldn't impose on you any further. I need to get back to my hotel room to pack for my return trip to Italy."

Charlie accepted his answer and made his way into the kitchen.

"You know Chief Swan, perhaps a change of scenery will do Bella some good. Maybe a week or two back home will do her some good."

"I'm not leaving Forks." My protests went unheard as the two stood in the house, right in front of me.

"She just got off from winter break. I can't allow her to miss any school. Colleges will be looking into that."

"That's not a problem, she's already been accepted into university in Rome, and besides she's received plenty education in Volterra that she doesn't need an American High School diploma. Two weeks is more than enough time to get over this boy that she can't let go. New faces, slightly used place, she'll be back to herself in no time." Felix countered.

Charlie knew I'd been accepted to school in Rome but he still hoped that I'd choose some place closer to him. It was unfair of Felix to remind him.

"I don't want to go." I stomped my foot, which surprisingly got their attention.

"Bella, I know you don't, but I honestly do think it might be best for you." Charlie resolved. I stared at him in disbelief.

"You're shipping me out? Just like that." I whispered. I walked to him and forced him to stare me in my eyes.

"Bella, I'm not saying I don't want you here. I just see the logic in a different scene. From the moment that you got here, it seemed that you were involved with Edward. You two were inseparable until his father's new job took the family away. And your behavior now, is nothing like it was before you met Edward. It's like you've cutoff all feeling, by keeping your mind busy. You cannot continue like that baby."

I heard his words, and part of me knew them to be true.

"This seems like a family matter. I'll let you have at it. My plane leaves tomorrow at eleven."

"No, you stay Felix. You're Bella's family as well." Charlie declared.

"You both think I should go? Felix how does uncle feel?"

I didn't even need to hear his answer, every fiber of my being knew that Aro would want me to come home.

"Dad, you're okay with me leaving school for a week?"

"I'm not okay with it, but two weeks at the most I don't see where that would be a problem. I just want you well."

I stalked back over to the couch and plopped back down. I tossed the idea around in my head, but after a minute, I knew what needed to happen.

"I guess I'm going to Italy."

**A/N: I've decided that I will abandon the once a week schedule that I originally planned for this story, and start posting as soon as they're done. However, for the most part, this will mean shorter chapters. So really it's up to ya'll, but I have a feeling that you won't mind as long as I keep putting up new chapters. Enjoy, the chapter!!! Oh, there are a few reviews from Chapter 10 that I wanted to reply to but I haven't had a chance to find the time to do so, so please forgive me as I may not find the time this week as well. But I will try, I promise. Other than the reminder to review, all I haveto say is please don't forget to vote on the poll on my page!!!**

**Thanks,**

**Jshai**


	13. Chapter 12: Really Here?

Chapter 12

Felix left to go hunt immediately after I said I would go to Italy. Charlie kept insisting that he stay for dinner, but I could tell that Felix was dying to hunt again.

"Dad, it's my last night in Forks, apparently. Why don't we let Felix pack and get some rest for tomorrow." Charlie finally accepted that, knowing that he wanted to spend some more time with me versus the fussing that usually comes when dealing with guests. I decided to cook a lasagna for Charlie, that way whatever leftovers could be Charlie's lunch and dinner for several days.

My plans for a nice evening with Charlie were interrupted when he called Billy and Jacob after dinner and told them the news. Of course they wanted to stop by.

"Well Bella, I hope you don't plan on breaking this old man's heart and stay in Italy too long. But then again Charlie will likely die of starvation while you're gone." Billy quipped jokingly.

"Hey now. I survived for seventeen years without someone helping me in the kitchen, thank you very much. All ya'll can give me some credit now." Charlie murmurs matched Billy's joking tone as he rolled Billy into the living room for some game I wasn't aware was on.

I wandered outside in search of Jacob, who had tensed up as soon as he got out of the truck he borrowed to bring Billy here. He was reluctant to come inside and even told Charlie that he needed to stay outside and tinker with the truck a little bit before they returned home since he heard some clanking noises. I knew that since he was a werewolf, he had smelled Felix and wanted to patrol.

It was weird to myself at least, that I was friends with a werewolf, though Jacob wanted more than a friendship. I remember the day that I told him that I knew he was a werewolf. I'd pretty much spilled the beans in the same manner that I let Edward know that I knew he was a vampire. Jacob was shocked at first, but grew ecstatic that there was someone outside of the pack that he could talk to. I helped him with his problems, and he helped keep me busy. It was a friendship that grew and blossomed and I would always cherish that with Jake.

I even told Jacob about how I knew about vampires, including my entire past of living with them my whole life. He was my sole confidant in Forks that knew who I really was.

"He's gone Jacob." I stated just slightly above a whisper, hoping he was close enough on his patrol to hear me.

Momentarily, I heard a some leaves rustling and Jacob quickly emerged from the woods. He seemed to be closer to seven feet tall now and was wearing only a pair of shorts and his sneakers.

"You know it's still February, would it kill you to wear a shirt?"

"How many times do I have to tell you, I run a toasty one-oh-eight. I don't even need any clothes right now. You know what I mean?" Jacob wagged his eyebrows as he pushed me up against the car, trapping me with his massive arms. I could feel his warm breath on my forehead.

The brief contact with his half naked body left me feeling sweat form on my brow. I knew my puny little human strength was no match for a werewolf's but I swatted him away anyway, and he let his body react the way it should have normally. I wiped my forehead free from the sweat.

"You're really leaving with that bloodsucker?" He asked me distraught.

"Yep. Besides, I miss everyone over there. Everyone here seems to think that I'm having trouble dealing with reality. So dealing with my demons in another country is everyone's solution."

"It's not my solution. You're going to be surrounded by vampires again. Aren't you scared?"

"Jacob, I have absolutely nothing to fear from my vampires. And besides it'll only be a week, two at the most. And then I'll be back home." I reassured him.

"You'll still consider Forks as your home?" He seemed so hopeful.

"Of course Jacob. You're here, this is my home." I realized how that may have sounded to him so I quickly added, "Charlie is my blood, my father. He's here. This will always be my home."

Jacob smiled his big goofy grin, with his tongue sticking out, and gave me a huge hug. He continued to hold me while we looked at the stars as they started to light up the darkening sky. Billy emerged from the house ready to leave, which was fine by me since I still needed to pack.

Everyone said had their rounds of goodbyes and hugs in before Jacob helped Billy into the truck. I stood in the driveway, waving, as I watched them drive down the street.

Once I reached upstairs, I knew there was no point in doing any heavy packing. Knowing Heidi, she was going to want to shop the minute I touched down. Regardless of what I packed, she was going to make it a full on shopping trip. I decided I'd pack light, saving me the trouble of having to unpack at some point.

I grabbed a duffel bag from underneath my bed and threw some books and my iPod in one of the pockets. A few items of clothing and a jacket went in as well. I was about to put my toiletries in but remembered I would need them in the morning.

I looked around my bedroom. Forks was a small town, no longer did I think it was the Podunk town I originally thought it would be. I was right when I told Jacob that it was my home.

I called Angela, hoping that she hadn't fallen asleep yet, but she was working on her calculus homework so I felt a bit of relief.

"Hey Bella, is everything okay?" I rarely talked to anyone here on the phone, they knew that I preferred face to face conversations rather than the phone.

"Yeah, everything is fine. Well depending on how you look at it." I gave a light chuckle but I knew Angela would be confused about my meaning.

"I'm going to Italy for a while. Change of scenery, you know?" I knew Angela would know what I meant then. She was the only one of my friends that was observant enough to know that I was hurting all these months after losing Edward.

After wishing me well, and helping her with her homework, we hung up the phone. I debated calling Jessica to let her know of my news but I figured it would be more fun to come home and find out what crazy stories she and Lauren came up with to explain my absence.

It was then that everything hit me, I was running away from my memories of the Cullen's. No, from Edward.

Without changing my clothes I crawled into bed and cried myself to sleep.

* * *

I awoke to the sun creeping through my window, warming my body with its rays.

"Bells wake up! Felix called and said the car would be here in an hour." Charlie called from downstairs.

I rushed out of bed and hurried with my shower. After drying my hair, I was surprised I still had fifteen minutes to get ready. I threw my toothbrush and deodorant in my duffel bag and ran downstairs. I was in no mood to eat but I forced some toast and orange juice down my throat.

"Are you nervous Bella?" Charlie asked at my abnormal behavior.

"If I'm honest, a little I guess." I said in between bites.

We heard a few honks and knew that it was time. I took another long look at Charlie who seemed like he was regretting letting me go.

"Dad, I'll be fine, and I'll call you as soon as we land. I promise." I assured him as I picked up my bag. He nodded his head but he didn't look at me.

"I'll miss you dad." A single tear rolled down my face and I quickly wiped it away before giving Charlie the biggest hug I could manage.

"I'll miss you too Bells." He watched me leave and I noticed his face glistened with his own tears. I smiled as I realized that my reluctance to show emotion was inherited from him.

I motioned to Felix not to say a word to me just yet as I got in the car. I turned around in my seat to get one last good look at Charlie and my home.

I couldn't believe how much I slept on the plane. I was startled when Felix shook me and told me that the plane was circling the airstrip.

I groggily came to, and my nerves started kicking in. I was back home in Italy.

It was just the two of us in Aro's private plane, well aside from the pilot and crew, all vampires under Aro's employ. I didn't recognize any of them but there was little need to. I hadn't flown in any of the Volturi's planes in over a year, they could be new recruits for all I knew.

One male grabbed my bag and looked me in the eye. "It's not very often a snack is flown on this plane. I wonder if Felix will share." I don't think he meant for me to hear since he was talking to another male vampire that was nearby. But he was standing so close to me.

"Excuse me?" I said incredulously. But before I could ask anything else Felix swooped in and started ripping the vampire apart. I could hear his screams echo throughout the plane so I covered my ears and shut my eyes.

I felt Felix pick me up and carry me down the steps of the plane. "I'm sorry you had to witness that." I nodded my head in agreement. So was I.

I opened my eyes when I felt that he had finished descending the steps. He set me down on my own two feet and I slowly opened my eyes to let them adjust to the lighting. It was just before sunset so there was no danger of exposure. Nonetheless, I could see that the plane was secluded at a separate tarmac.

A black Escalade was waiting in front of the hanger that were waiting for us. I strained to look at it when I saw one door open.

"Heidi!" I ran warily towards the slinky vampire though it was useless since she ran a whole lot faster than I ever could.

"Oh Bella-wella! I've missed you darling." Heidi linked her arm with mine and led me to the vehicle. "We have so much to catch up on! We've missed some of the best seasons, but the spring fashion that's coming out now is fantastic. I've already cleared out your closet."

I smiled and rolled my eyes. When she wasn't going fishing, Heidi had a one track mind. In every way she was better suited for Alice's best friend.

"Was that really necessary?" I asked.

"Of course, I haven't seen you in over a year. We have much to make up." We found our seats in the huge trucks, and Felix followed suit.

I spent the car ride filling Heidi in on my adventures in Forks. I kept all of the werewolf business out, as I was confident that not even Felix had noticed anything out of the ordinary. Heidi was most pleased when I mentioned that I still managed to get some shopping in thanks to Alice.

We pulled into the garage and I saw my car. I smiled as I trilled my fingers across the body when I exited the truck.

I was amazed that even with my time away from Volterra, I was still able to remember the direction of the labyrinth of tunnels that lay underneath the city and castle.

"Do you want to go to your room, or wait in the lobby with Gianna? Your uncles are attending to a last minute meeting in the turret room." Heidi asked.

Well that explained the absence of Demetri and Jane and Alec from greeting me.

"Lobby, please. I would like to see Gianna. I have missed her as well." There was something about being in the castle again that altered my dialect. For my developmental years, I was never allowed to use contractions, though speaking Italian wasn't mandatory. I remembered how one night Jacob called me on my 'stiff way' of speaking. Because of him, I'd gotten used to using them. But I guess that would be expected.

Heidi walked with me to the lobby and I saw Felix slip through the massive doors to the turret room for whatever meeting was taking place.

"Oh Gianna! I've missed you so much." I hugged the person I once considered to be my only human companion. "Did you drive the car at all?"

"Yes, but who cares about the car? I've missed you too. You have to tell me all about everything later." Gianna looked at her intercom waiting for a signal from Aro.

"What's going on in there?" I asked being nosey.

"Some vampire wanting retribution, and is seeking the help of your uncles." She casually mentioned.

"Yeah right," I said as I grabbed a seat in one of the lush cushions of the couch in the lobby. The Volturi would probably get a dozen or so requests similar every so often, but Aro refused to get involved in such squabbles. Killing another vampire was not against their law.

I only had to wait a few minutes before the large doors opened. I heard Aro's voice come through Gianna's intercom, "Gianna, please send Bella in."

I smiled as I grabbed the coat that I had slung over my arm and handed it to Gianna. I walked through the doors and saw my three uncles and the guard standing in the front of the room. They were wearing their dark grey robes today but the hoods weren't up so I could see every one of their faces. The huge doors closed behind me.

"Welcome home Bella!" I heard Aro's voice but I didn't see his lips move. I walked closer to the throne area and was assaulted by everyone's expressions of my home coming.

Soon, with each step I felt something shift in the air. I heard the whoosh of one of the doors being swung open way too fast. I turned around and froze at who I saw standing there.

"It's true she really is here?"

**A/N: You guys are truly amazing!!! I loved every single one of your reviews you guys really know how to make my day. I hope I don't spoil ya'll though. two chapters in one day might not happen again...at least not for a while. Hope you enjoyed, if you haven't already read some of my other stories for twilight so that you can vote in the poll on my profile!! **

**Love you guys so much,**

**Jshai**


	14. Chapter 13: What Have You Done?

Chapter 13

My body was frozen, my breathing nonexistent. James was at the door, and then without blinking his hand engulfed my neck.

"I'm going to enjoy this." I closed my eyes as his teeth sank into my flesh, and I felt my blood flowing into his waiting mouth.

I felt my knees give out and I waited for my face to make contact with the floor but contact never came.

I opened my eyes, and James was still at the door. I stared back as he glared daggers right into me. I could tell he was trying to figure out what is next move was going to be.

"James, you have been dismissed. What is the meaning of barging in our chambers?"

"I want an explanation! You tell me that my matters are my own, but then I see and _smell_ the very core of my matter here."

"We owe you nothing." Aro commanded.

James continued to glare at me, but when I blinked he left. Completely gone.

Just like my daydream, I felt my knees give way, only this time it was really happening. I watched as the floor grew closer to my face, only this time, Felix caught me.

"It's okay. I got you." He whispered into my ear.

"Uncle Aro, why was he here?" Though I didn't need to ask. Gianna had mentioned that a vampire was here seeking retribution. He was here seeking permission to kill me. Edward thought James wanted him, but he wants me.

"Never you mind child. All that matters is you're here." Caius said, but that wasn't something I could accept. James was so close, and if it wasn't for me being surrounded by so many vampires, he could have killed me right then.

"It does matter Uncle Caius! He wants to kill me doesn't he? That's why he came here." I screamed. This wasn't the homecoming any of us had planned.

"Yes. He came seeking permission to kill a vampire's pet. He described the Cullen's and we knew instantly it was you he was after. We ordered him to stay away from you and the Cullen's. Though the Cullen's will be dealt with separately."

"What do you mean 'dealt with?'" I asked.

"They placed you in danger. In harm's way. We can't have that."

"You wanted your identity secret. You can't very well punish them for something that you wouldn't punish another family for if the same situation had occurred." I reasoned.

"How do you mean?" Aro asked. He was definitely intrigued by my argument. That was a good sign.

"She means, had it been any other human, we wouldn't have stepped in to punish them Brother." Marcus defended me.

"But they let our existence be made known." Caius tried to counter but I knew where this would have headed long before I came back home.

"I told them I knew of vampires. It was me that mentioned vampires first. Most of the Cullen's wanted to kill me when I let them know. It wasn't until I told them of how I knew of vampires, and a healthy fear of the Volturi, that they relaxed around me."

"So you have covered the bases to keep your Cullen's safe." Aro smiled and looked pleased for some reason.

"I'm not an idiot uncle. I know how you and Uncle Caius like to operate sometimes.

"You can be very conniving, Bella. You'd make a lovely addition to the guard." Aro was definitely beaming.

"Can we not discuss my mortality?"

"You mean immortality. You can't escape the inevitable."

"You say to-mat-o, I say tomato." I corrected. Becoming a vampire was something I once wanted, but only with Edward. Without him, what was the use of living forever?

"My dear, I'm sorry to cut this short, but there is some business that must be attended to. If you'll excuse us?" He gestured that I should leave out of the side door. I didn't need an escort, this was my home after all.

I nodded, knowing that there was nothing further that I wanted to discuss. At least not with my uncles. I walked through the door, giving one last look at the guard that was assembled.

"Uncles, has James been escorted out of the castle? I'd really don't want to run into him in the hallway to my room.

Aro looked at Demetri who nodded and walked over to Aro. Aro grabbed his hand and nodded as well.

"James is headed towards Ireland right now. You don't need to concern yourself with him anymore."

And with that, I headed to my room. After such an eventful homecoming, the only thing I was interested in was my bed.

It was a quiet sleep. No one disturbed me and there were no dreams. Though there was one dream that I longed to see, the meadow. It was here that I dreamed of the lush patch of grass first, and a part of me was hoping that I would have it again.

I cringed when I thought of the day that Heidi must have had planned for me and hurried into the closet to see what the damage was. She mentioned that she cleared it out, but I knew there were some items that she would have left. The basics as she called them.

I found a pair of black jeans and a white wife beater. I grabbed them and my toiletries and went into the massive shower that belonged only to me.

I let the hot water cascade over me, as I soaped my body, enjoying the huge shower. I had no idea what Heidi was going to make me try-on, so I thought it was in my best interest to shave my legs. Though I loved Forks, there were things that I took for granted.

It was only the thought of Gianna's pancakes that rushed me out of the shower. I changed into my simple outfit and threw my wet hair into a messy bun. Not really paying attention, I walked into a stone wall when I left the bathroom.

"Ow! Jane! Don't you know how to knock?" I rubbed my arm which miraculously wasn't broken upon impact.

"I did Bella. I guess you didn't hear me. You know I could fix that for you." She clamped her teeth together in a playful motion and I stuck my tongue out at her. "Welcome home." She said with a genuine smile.

She embraced me in a hug, and I couldn't believe that I managed to live without my cousin after all this time. We picked our relationship up right where we left off and I gave her the abridged version of my time in Forks. I'd already accepted that I would be telling the story over and over.

"Umm, Jane?" We had walked at a human's pace to the kitchen, something she was always bored with doing. She was about to head over to the antechamber where Heidi would be bringing in her catch soon, while me and Gianna hunted for pancakes and sausage.

"Yes Bella?"

"When you see Demetri, can you have him come find me? I'd really like to see him."

"He is on assignment with Felix and Alec. They should be back soon. I will relay the message." I assumed that Jane heard Heidi's return because she quickly turned and ran in a blink towards the antechamber.

Feeding time was really the only chance that Gianna had to herself as scheduled. Even on her days off, she was still on call as Aro's assistant.

"So you fell for a vampire?" Gianna asked as she placed a plate of macaroni and cheese, ham and fresh fruit in front of me. I drowned the pancakes in syrup and stabbed a piece of pineapple in my mouth.

"G, I love you to death, but I really don't want to talk about it. And what's with the mac and cheese? I was hoping for some pancakes." I couldn't blame everyone for wanting to know what happened. I lived with vampires my entire life and not once had I shown any interest in one, to the frustration of Felix and my uncles.

"Okay. But you do realize that it's almost six in the evening." After a while she continued, "You know everyone missed you while you were gone. For a while, it was like they were zombies without you."

I laughed at her statement for more than one reason. The idea of a vampire zombie was oddly hilarious to me, plus I remembered how Charlie seemed to have preferred me being a zombie versus the always busy-hyper active person I became after Edward left.

"I don't think you'll be going shopping today." Gianna casually said but then when I looked at her, she acted as if she gave away too much.

"What do you mean?" But Gianna was clamming up already.

"Bella?" I turned and saw Demetri's stone face.

I walked over to him and he brought me into a hug. I buried my head in his chest and his scent filled my nose.

"You smell like snow." I commented.

Demetri's lips turned up into a smoldering smile. "I was on a gathering mission. Jane said you needed to speak with me."

I looked back at Gianna who nodded for me to go. She needed to clean up and head back to her desk soon anyway.

I didn't want to speak in the hallway so Demetri carried me through the castle and outside in the Italian countryside that was my backyard for seventeen years.

"Demetri. I need a favor, and I hate to ask you of it." I paused but Demetri stood still as a statue. There was no motion whatsoever that indicated for me to continue or to stop. So I continued.

"I want James dead. And I want you to track and kill him." I looked down sheepishly. I'd never asked any of my vampires for anything as big. And despite the fact that James wanted me dead, I never needed another creature dead in retribution before.

"Bella, you can't ask that of me."

"Why not? You were there last night. You saw what he wanted. My life is in danger. Charlie's life could be in danger." The thought of Charlie being in danger because of me sent me into hysterics.

"Bella. Bella, calm down." I took ten large, deep breaths to regulate my heart, staring into Demetri's blood red eyes to focus. "I can't do that favor for you because Aro won't allow it. I'm tracking him, and someone will be in Forks if he gets anywhere near there. But he's off limits, no matter how much we may want to protect you."

"What do you mean, Aro has him off limits?" I hadn't realized how angry I was until I heard my voice distorted by my clenching teeth.

"Aro thinks his tracking abilities will make him a good addition to the guard. The fact that he sees it as a sport, makes him ruthless. In some ways more than me. I need to meet someone in order to get a handle of where a vampire is. He just needs a scent."

I knew all too well of what James needed to go on a hunt. I shuddered at the thought of that fateful day.

"And besides, should the ones that you should be mad at be the Cullen's? I mean they left you alone, knowing that James was out there. That was reckless in and of itself."

"We're not going there."

"Well someone needs to go there with you. You know what forget it. I need to get back, Aro is gathering the guard for something major. It's probably important that you're there as well."

In one fell swoop, Demetri picked me up and slung me on his back. We started running at a faster pace than he'd ever run with me before. It was pretty dark outside by now.

When we made it back to the castle, everyone, including the wives seemed to be in an uproar about something. My first thought was that it had something to do with James, but what I saw next quickly pushed thoughts of James aside.

Aro had some members of the guard usher all the rest downstairs to the dungeon area. This was one area I was often restricted from going to, and tried to escape, but Demetri held a fast grip on my arm.

Once we were downstairs, Aro waved Demetri forward, who again still holding me, brought me forward as well. I was beginning to be scared for my own safety.

"Behind these curtains is the next revolution in protection. With the impending uprising from the Romanians, this discovery will give us the advantage in the war!" I looked back at Aro whose eyes looked absolutely crazed.

He nodded to Alec who pulled on the gold tasseled pulley, drawing the curtain back. I stared into the prison that was reinforced with metals of all different types.

"Oh my gosh! Aro what have you done?"


	15. Chapter 14: What's Wrong?

Chapter 14

I looked into the ice blue eyes of six men that were chained up in the cage. The rage that seeped from their entire bodies was undeniable.

"Uncle. What have you done?" I needed to repeat myself because Aro seemed to be in his own little world. It was a world that was driven by power and he didn't care what he needed to do to stay in that world.

"Bella, everyone. Behold, the last remnant of the Children of the Moon. Thanks to some information I gleamed from James last night, we were able to determine that some still existed. They have agreed to offer some sort of protection."

I looked back into the eyes of the men in the cage. I couldn't understand why they didn't just break their chains. The chains wouldn't have been a problem for the werewolves that I knew back home. Every one of them had shoulder length blonde hair. Hadn't Jacob mentioned that the longer the hair, the shaggier the wolf? I wondered if that held the same for the Children of the Moon.

"Aro it is almost time." Demetri said behind me.

"Ahh yes, Bella, perhaps you should step back a bit." Aro made the suggestion but he instinctively pulled me behind him. I recoiled from his protection and Felix pulled me towards him.

After a matter of minutes, there was the sound of live electricity crackling through the air. My eyes focused on the men in the cage as they transformed into wolves. They weren't quite as colossal as the Quileute wolves back home, but they were still impressive.

"And why would they offer to help protect you from the Romanians, uncle?" I looked at Aro with a slight feeling of disgust. Sensing my mood, Aro sent everyone out of the dungeon except Demetri and Felix.

"Don't be so naïve Bella. The Romanians will be coming one day, and when they do, they'll come for you too. Whether you're a human or not. I'm confident that they won't succeed, and the extra muscle will be appreciated."

"We've convinced them that it was in their best interest to serve our purpose." Caius said with as much enthusiasm that Aro normally has on a regular basis. Which only meant that this was his idea.

"We should give them some privacy in case they want to change back." I was roughly escorted by Aro who took me from Felix's protection.

"My office now!" It was a harsh whisper from him, one that I'd never heard from him before, at least directed to me.

We walked in silence through the elaborate corridors that led to his office. Once inside, he slammed the door and stared at me for the longest of time.

Aro started pacing the floor about ten feet away from me, like he was scared to come near me. "What were you thinking? Questioning me like that in front of everyone." Aro started cursing in fluent Italian but he was speaking so fast I only caught bits and pieces.

"I'm sorry Aro. It will never happen again," was all I could say. I stood my ground and kept my eyes to the ground.

Rapidly, Aro was standing in front of me, taking an exaggerated whiff of my neck. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just bite you now, and get it over with." I never once before had a reason to fear Aro until that point. Involuntarily the tears were rolling down my face, leaving salty trails that dripped to my shirt.

As if answering my prayers, there was a knock at the door. I turned to see who would be my savior, but Aro kept his nose at my neck. I could feel his teeth grazing the skin, and I was terrified that he'd just do it. My worst nightmare.

"Come in." Aro finally said through his teeth. He backed away slightly but he was still standing in front of me.

"Excuse me Master. I was wondering if I might speak with Isabella for a moment?" Felix stood at the door, and his face was strained. I struggled to back away from Aro a little bit more, but his grip around my waist was secure.

"Bella, you may go." I nodded my head thankful to leave the dreaded office. Once outside, I tried regaining my composure as I followed Felix, but it was no use. I couldn't see through the tears that were now pouring out of my eyes, and I kept tripping. Finally, Felix picked me up and cradled me against his chest.

"I'm sorry for getting my tears on your robe." I whispered.

"You always did apologize for things that you couldn't help. I'm just sorry I didn't get to you sooner. He should have never scared you like that."

Felix brought me to one of our favorite spots in the castle. Well actually we were on the castle. The view of the Italian countryside from the crown was spectacular. For the next hour or so, Felix comforted me and made me feel better. It was nice because it reminded me of how we were before I left for Forks. With the exception of Aro nearly biting me earlier, and the revelation that the Children of the Moon were now pets of the guard, my first couple of days back in Italy were nice.

"You told Aro that you wanted to speak with me." I said after I was calm, and feeling better about being back in Italy. Though by now it was pretty late and I was getting sleepy.

"Another time. I need to get you back to your bed." As if on cue, my eyes closed and I yawned. Felix of course laughed at me, the human. Maybe it wasn't so bad to become a vampire, but what was the use of eternity if I wasn't with the one I loved?

He ran us back into the castle and we were in front of my bedroom door. I left his arms as he stood me upright. But I was too tired to stand up straight, so I leaned against the post.

"I want to hear what it was." He knew what I was talking about, which made me glad.

Felix looked down quickly but when he looked at me there was a smile on his face. All too late I saw that he was leaning in, and before I knew it his lips were on mine.

The touch of his lips were familiar, not familiar, similar to when Edward used to kiss me. Only there was an urgency that I felt when he parted my mouth with his tongue. Our lips moved together in sync, like it was something that we were used to doing on a regular basis. One arm wrapped around my waist and I felt my feet leave the ground. I wrapped my legs around Felix and the door to my room was open. He carried me to the bed and laid me down, but he didn't lay down with me. I was only a little bit disappointed when our lips finally parted.

"Another time." Felix simply said before he ran out of my room, closing the door behind him. I buried my head in one of the pillows and screamed with frustration. I closed my eyes and began to drift off, when the sudden thought of Edward popped in my head.

Oh, what have I done?

* * *

When I woke up in the morning, I decided that I wanted to know about the werewolves that were sleeping practically underneath me. I knew that Demetri was out on another mission, something to do with James. I tried not to think too much about the ruthless vampire and focus on the task at hand. I went into Demetri's room, and found six pairs of shirts and pants. Then I went into the kitchen and found some portable foods that would be easy to carry, along with a few bottles of water for the men.

The entire castle seemed to be quiet, something that wasn't unusual, especially if there was a session gathered in the next wing over. So I went downstairs, and crept to the dungeon.

The six men were laying on the ground, covering themselves with as much of the shreds of clothing they could muster. I felt bad that I didn't think of bringing a blanket or something for them to lay on.

"Here I brought these for you. I hope they fit." I whispered as I threw the clothes into the cage. I turned around so that they could have a moment to themselves to change, so that I didn't see any stray body parts.

"You are human." I turned around at his husky broken voice. He was putting on Demetri's shirt, a button up and I caught a peek at his chest and abs.

"They've raised me since I was a baby. They're like my family. They are my family."

"But you don't agree with what they are doing to us." I could tell by the cadence of his voice that he wasn't asking a question. If anyone was paying attention last night, they would have been able to tell that I disagreed with the Volturi's position of the Children of the Moon.

"No I don't." I passed the food through the bars, a few pieces of bread, and fruit, and the water.

"Why do you sympathize with our plight, if you are with the vampires?"

I didn't know how to answer this, I was sure that there may be a vampire or two listening to our conversation. The stone in the dungeon was an excellent conductor of sound. I looked for a piece of paper and a pen, but could only find the pen.

"Well no matter how you came to be what you are, you're still human." I said while writing on my hand:

_I was friends with some werewolves in America. I wouldn't want to see them caged up like how you are now._

The one that I'd been speaking to looked at me in amazement and began to speak. I held up my finger telling him to be quiet. I couldn't put Jacob or his pack in danger by letting someone reveal my extra knowledge of werewolves.

"I'll return later with some food and water for you and your friends." I also made a mental note to bring some blankets to them as well.

* * *

"It's not like you cheated on him, Bella. You two broke up, and now he's where? Somewhere halfway around the world?" It was a rainy day, about five days since the kiss between me and Felix, and Heidi finally coerced Jane to help get me to go shopping. However, we were currently sitting in a cafe enjoying some coffee and biscotti. Well, I was enjoying my coffee, while Jane and Heidi held the cup for the warmth.

"I agree, Felix is here and willing. And it's not like he isn't attractive. Was it a nice kiss?" Jane asked sweetly.

I smiled at the memory, "yes, it was. But I wonder what it was that he wanted to talk about."

"Oh you never see anything clearly. Well let me help you out, you know how Aro has always wanted you two to be together?" I nodded my head as Heidi continued to speak with an exasperated tone. "Well, Felix has never opposed the idea, even though some would have because you're human and you intended to stay that way. Felix is in love with you, and always will be, even if your heart keeps beating." She was smiling very eerily, waiting for me to get it. I looked over at Jane who was nodding her head just as enthusiastically as Heidi was smiling.

There was some truth to what she had said. Deep down, I knew that the kiss was exactly what Felix wanted to talk about. It really shouldn't have been that hard to figure out.

It was then I reminded myself of one of the dream I had in Forks, Felix was always there, longing for me to look at him. But I was too focused on Edward, or Jacob when I was worried about him. But I never gave Felix a second glance. Was that my subconscious telling me that Felix was the one?

Without even noticing that I wasn't paying attention, Jane and Heidi gathered our bags and we began walking towards yet another store. To my absolute dismay, I was holding a total of four shopping bags, while Jane and Heidi each held eight in each hand. That meant there were a total of twenty bags, and they were all for me.

I tried not to complain, since Heidi did not have any fun shopping while I was gone, but she was definitely going overboard now.

They were now dragging me into Armani because Heidi felt I didn't have enough jackets over in Forks. Of course she had me try on other items besides coats. (Though I did like the one tweed coat she bought for me.) But I was very annoyed that she insisted on paying nearly forty bucks a piece for a few tee shirts, and a hundred dollars for the sweaters. Some people just had too much money.

When we finally left, I put my foot down. "I'm done shopping. I'm sleepy, we're going home." Jane just looked at me and started laughing at my near tantrum. Heidi looked stunned like she was trying to figure out how she could force me to continue without using noticeable force.

"It's times like this that makes me wish my gift worked like you. I'd let you think I was Edward shopping with you instead." My mouth dropped at Heidi's words! Her gift was to make her prey "see" what they or who they most desired. I fought back tears and turned towards the general direction of where the Escalade was parked.

I heard Jane hiss at Heidi before she snuck up beside me. "That was low, but you know she didn't mean it right?" I nodded my head. The tears never showed but I wasn't ready to open my mouth yet.

By the time me and Jane had reached the car, I decided to confide in Jane.

"The problem is Jane, I'm not even sure that Edward is who I most desire anymore." By now everyone pretty much knew about the kiss between me and Felix. But within the past few days, I'd been spending some time with the werewolves.

The one that I'd been speaking to is their Alpha, Eric. He was very alluring, I'd give him that. There was nothing romantic between us, but I agreed to act as a mediator between Aro and Eric's pack. In exchange for being treated like human beings, and not living in a cage, Eric and his pack would be able to walk around and have a room for themselves.

I couldn't hide my surprise when Aro agreed to the terms. For the sheer fact that he wanted me to have an escort whenever I left the castle walls, especially when the weather did not permit my usual escort. But on days like this one, Aro insisted that a vampire was with me.

Jane didn't get a chance to respond because Heidi made her way to the car. "Bella, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out the way it did. Please believe me." I nodded my head and decided to let it go. I wasn't even sure that I even cared about it.

Heidi drove us back to the citadel, and parked the car in the garage. "Go you have lessons, we'll grab your bags."

Aro wanted me to start up with my archery lessons again. I hated archery because I was scared I was going to stab myself with the arrow somehow. I also never understood why Aro insisted that I learned the art, though when done correctly, it did look elegant. I couldn't imagine myself looking elegant doing anything.

But of course, because I refused to ever anger Aro again, I agreed to the lessons. I headed over to the gym where Felix and Demetri set up the target. Felix helped me with my bracer. Just like riding a bike, I aim for my sight picture, took a breath and released the arrow.

"Eight! Very good, but you can do better." Demetri said. I scowled at him and stuck my tongue out. I grabbed another arrow, and prepared to aim when we were interrupted.

"Demetri and Felix, there's an urgent situation in the turret room, you're needed." I looked over to see Alec standing in the door of the gym.

I resumed to take aim when Alec's voice broke through my concentration. "Bella, you might want to come too." Instantly there was a foreboding sense of dread that shook through my body. My heart started beating too fast, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Terrifyingly wrong.


	16. Chapter 15: You Came

Chapter 15

Alec insisted that we hurry up and get to the antechamber room, which only intensified the very wrong feeling that I had. It seemed that my heart was beating as fast as Felix was carrying me.

I kept asking Alec if it was James, but no one would answer me. I tried looking at Demetri but we were running so fast, I couldn't bear to lift my head to far away from Felix's shoulder. We reached the side door where Gianna was waiting to hand out robes to the three vampires.

"Felix, don't leave me. Please?" I clutched at his shirt. I'd break every single nail if I had to, but I didn't want to be left alone. I looked to Alec for help.

"No, Eric is already in place, he can't leave and Felix is needed, but Demetri can stay. That way you can still be connected, and Demetri will be able to read our visitor." Demetri nodded, and I released my grip on Felix's shirt. Gianna took the extra robe back to her closet and left.

"Are you sure Bella?" I nodded my head and buried it in Demetri's back. Felix and Alec disappeared through the door and then left the door slightly cracked. Though I couldn't hear anything, I knew this was mainly for Demetri to hear.

"Is it James?" I whispered to Demetri. I hoped that he would tell me the truth. Though I suspected that even if it was, in an effort to keep me from worrying, he would lie to me.

"No." I resisted the urge to ask him if he was lying to me.

Suddenly I heard a scream of anguish. Whoever was in there, angered Jane. I recognized those type of screams. Aro prided himself on finding Jane and Alec. They were valuable assets to the guard since their powers allowed them to stay on the offensive without even moving. I nearly felt bad for whoever Jane was subjecting her gift to.

I loved the perpetual child but when it came to inflicting pain, sometimes she took her job a little too seriously. I used to wonder if I didn't have the ability to block her gift, if our relationship would have been different.

"Edward's taking a pretty good beating in there," simultaneously, I felt Demetri's body tense up.

I took a step back away from Demetri. "What did you say?" I asked resolutely. I studied Demetri's face, and though he never repeated himself, his eyes told me everything.

"Edward is in there? My Edward?" Without waiting for an answer, I ran as fast as I could through the partially open door, praying that Demetri was too stunned to chase me. He did chase me but by the time he caught me, I'd been frozen still.

By my accounts, it was a horrific scene. Edward was writhing in pain, his eyes were closed to me. There was a frightfully content smile upon Jane's face. Aro and the rest of the guard looked on inquisitively.

"Stop it, Jane. Stop!" I yelled. It was weird seeing how shocked Jane was when she heard my voice. Aro simply looked annoyed.

I ran over to Edward and helped him up. I stared into his coal black eyes as he studied me.

"I don't know what to believe. Are you alive? Or are you my angel to guide me to Heaven?" I heard some snickers from the guard behind me but I paid them no mind.

"Edward, I'm alive. What are you doing in Italy?" I asked.

"Rose was finally able to get a hold of me last night, and told me that you died. She wanted me to come home." My mouth dropped. I knew that Rose initially had a problem with me, but I thought that we had at least come to an understanding when she helped me with my truck shopping. But to say something as hurtful as I had died, was so wrong.

"I am sure that I am still breathing, Edward. But you didn't answer why you were here."

There was a look of puzzlement on Edward's face for a moment before he spoke. "Do you remember the day in your kitchen when we continued a conversation about your mortality? You wanted to become a vampire, and I wanted you to remain human. You reminded me that you would die eventually, and wondered what I would do. I told you I'd have the Volturi kill me. What are you doing here?"

I remembered vaguely the conversation with him that he was referring to. And I also remembered my slip where I said that Aro would never kill a vampire that had such a gift as his. I looked back at my family and knew that if it came to it, I was right. Edward would be standing alongside the guard if Aro had his way.

I glanced back at Edward but he was pinching his nose, and his eyes were closed. When he opened them, it wasn't Edward I was staring at. For a moment I thought it was one of my dreams coming to fruition, but I realized that would have been better than reality.

"You've been living here? This is your vampire family. You lied to me?" His last question was forced through his teeth, and I stumbled back away from him. Instinctively, I started biting my lower lip, hoping to keep the tears from falling, but it didn't help.

"I wanted to tell you. I was going to tell you." I barely whispered. My voice couldn't be trusted, and with him no longer looking at me, I couldn't bear trying to beg.

"All this time, you came into my family home, we told you everything! But you told us nothing but lies?" He took a couple steps towards me, but I kept backing away from him. Of course my equilibrium couldn't handle walking backwards and I fell over onto my butt. The tears kept coming and there was no end in sight. Tried wiping my face but it was no use.

"Enough!" Aro stepped down from the stage area and crossed past me to get to Edward. He reached for his hand and after a few seconds of deliberating on what to do, Edward raised his hand to Aro.

"La Tua Cantante, Edward. Did you know that was what Bella is to you? For you to resist the blood of your singer, ahhh! Exquisite self control. Speaking of self control, how is Carlisle? How's the weather in Connecticut?" Aro asked with his normal enthusiasm as if chaos wasn't the focus of just a moment ago.

"I wouldn't know." I looked at Edward longingly, but he still refused to acknowledge me. He continued to stare at the ground.

"That's right you've been tracking James. Unsuccessfully though. Did you know he tracked Bella here? He wants her dead, because of Victoria."

"He can have her." Edward was uncommonly harsh. He then did something that I thought I'd never see, he turned his back and ran out of the turret room. Both Felix and Demetri started to chase after him, but Aro held up his hand.

"No, let him go. We'll see each other again, I'm sure."

In my head I was reminded of how Charlie almost preferred a zombie over the productive hyper active person I became after Edward left, the first time that is. Unknowingly, he got his wish.

I felt someone pick me up and carry me to my room. "Mon chere, it'll be okay." It was Felix. The guilt set in that he should be the one comforting me when I was crying over someone else. Nonetheless, I continued crying, snot and all. Edward hated me and this was the worse feeling in the world.

After what seemed like two hours of crying, I finally started to drift off. Everything was taking a dreamlike state and I was only vaguely aware that I was still clinging to Felix.

"She's sleeping?" The voice sounded like it belonged to Demetri.

"Yeah. I hope she won't be broken again. Bella was moving on. And that parasite just had to show up." Felix said. I snorted because it seemed a little absurd that a vampire of all creatures, was calling another vampire a parasite. It seemed a little "the pot calling the kettle black," to me. This was definitely a dream.

"Bella's gonna be leaving soon though, what are you going to do?" Dream Demetri asked Dream Felix.

"Good question. I know there's no way Aro will let me go with her, but she'll only be gone for a few more months before she comes home for university. It'll be rough, but I love her D."

Dream or no dream, Felix loved me? I somehow knew this was true. I always tried to keep Felix at a brother relationship but there was always something there that let me know that we couldn't be like that for long. But the question was did I love him?

I was too exhausted to think of the consequences of that question, and I allowed the heavy darkness of sleep pull me under.

When I awoke, I was pleased when I realized that I wasn't alone. "Felix? You stayed."

"I felt it was need to. Last night was pretty rough on you." He looked at me expectantly, as if I was going to start up again.

"I know. And I promise, I won't let you see that again."

"Bells, if you need to cry some more, you definitely should. You can't hold onto it."

"Felix, that's not what I'm doing. Yes, I lied to him, but I had good reason, you know. And besides he left me, without apology. I had a psychotic vampire stalking me, and he still left. I tried apologizing for my lies, and he turned his back on me and if James was there, he would have handed me to him. It's like he told me before, he never loved me. Why should he get another tear from me?"

I pulled myself from underneath the covers and headed to my closet. I had no plans to leave the castle today, so I just found some sweatpants and one of the tee shirts that Heidi bought yesterday. "I need a human moment." I excused myself from Felix's presence and escaped to my shower.

I pulled my wet hair up away from my neck as I got dressed, and then walked back to my room.

I was surprised by a bouquet of flowers that were laid out on the floor by the door. The scent of cherry and vanilla blossoms along with some freesia assaulted my nose. I looked up at the ceiling, hoping I didn't sneeze.

"Too much freesia right? I knew I was going to overdo it." Felix said. He looked absolutely dashing. In the time it took me to take a shower and wash my hair, Felix had managed to shower, change and find some flowers for me.

"No, they're fine. Thank you." I stood on my toes to give him a kiss on his cheek. My lips lingered a little longer than I planned, and Felix turned his head so that his lips met mine.

The kiss wasn't sweet and light, there wasn't a hint of the urgency that was prevalent in our first kiss. And yet this one was just as nice. Felix's cold hands caressed my face ever so lightly just before he pulled away from me.

"Come to me when you're ready Bella. And only then." And just like before, Felix turned and ran out of the room.

I sighed at how exasperated I was over Felix. Maybe I did feel something for him more than I realized. I curled back up in my bed and found a copy of Pride and Prejudice. I was more of a fan of Emily Bronte, but Jane Austin was also a favorite of mine.

I was lost in my book when I heard a knock on my door.

"Isabella, darling? You need to eat something." I looked up and saw Marcus with a tray of food. Marcus was probably the only one that I didn't care about correcting my first name. He was definitely the only that I allowed to call me Isabella.

"Uncle, thank you. I was reading and the day ran away from me. What time is it anyway?" There was an assortment of fruit, butter, croissants, and juice on the tray, so I grabbed a bowl of strawberries and drizzled some vanilla yogurt into the bowl, and started stuffing them in my mouth.

"It's a little after three in the afternoon." There was something of a smile on Marcus' face. To anyone else, a smile from Marcus was rare. But to me, at least when I was the focus of his concern, I always saw a smile.

"Oh, wow. Uncle than you for the food. Would it be possible to speak with you and Uncle Aro and Uncle Caius in a bit? There is something that I have been thinking about and I would like to discuss it with you."

"Sure darling. I don't see why not. I'll let you finish your food. We'll be in Aro's office when you are ready."

I nodded to Marcus while he showed himself off. When I finished most of the tray, I set it aside and went back to the closet. There was no way I was going to ask a huge favor of my uncles in sweats. Plus there was something that I wanted to attend to after my business with my uncles was taken care of.

I found a pale yellow sundress, that I didn't particularly care for, the dress was pretty—it was just the color was all wrong for my complexion. Aro, however, loved yellow on me, and since it was mainly him I needed to appease, yellow it was.

I swept my curly hair into a side-swept ponytail, and left the shoes in the closet. I walked the familiar corridor to Aro's office, and realized that because of this trip, I'd spent more time in Aro's office than ever before.

I passed Eric and one of his brothers, Garick as I passed the door. Many of the vampires were now relaxed with the werewolves. Not quite as comfortable as I am with them, they were tolerant, that's a good word.

Marcus smiled when he saw me, his eyes danced knowing that I was up to something by the way I was dressed. I wasn't sure if Aro or Caius picked up on it, they were a lot better at hiding what they were thinking.

"Bella, you look absolutely radiant today. To what do we owe the pleasure of an audience with you?" It was a very good sign that Aro was polite. Polite meant accommodating.

"Uncles. I'm glad you were able to meet me today."

"There was nothing on the docket that was pressing my dear. And we'd always make time for you regardless. What is it that you'd like to speak with us about." Caius prompted.

"I'd like to go home. Back to Forks."

"Absolutely not! We still haven't dealt with James. He'll never forget about you." Caius raised his voice at me but I refused to back down.

"Bella, you've only been here for a week, we still have you for another. Why do you want to leave so soon?" Marcus was sad again.

"Please understand, I do not mean to upset any of you. It is only that I do not want to hide out here because of James or Edward. It's not who you raised me to be." I'd hope playing them into my plea would help my cause.

"No, Bella. Caius is right, James is still out there. I'd hate for anything to happen to you in Forks."

"There is a house for sale right across the street from Charlie's. You could purchase it and have a team escort me. They could watch over me and patrol the area for James."

"Interesting. But the only problem with your theory is sunny days. Your escort wouldn't be able to protect you when the weather is nice." Aro contemplated.

"If the sun is out, then it's keeping my escorts in along with James." Aro looked back at his brothers and held out both of his hands for them to take.

After a few excruciatingly long seconds, Aro finally spoke. "We can't give you Felix, or Demetri. James already got an eyeful of everyone on the guard. You may go home, but we'd feel better about the escort you suggest. We'll give you Eric and Garick. You'll have two werewolves protecting you, and we still keep four along with the guard intact." I couldn't even hide my excitement that I was going home. I hugged all of them and turned towards the door.

"Ummm, Bella, we're not done here." I turned back towards them, and Aro was making his way to me. "We will have this discussion now. When you graduate from high school, you will be changed."

"So in exchange for going home early, I give up my life? Is that it?" I asked.

"No, this is something that has needed to be said for quite some time now. You will be one of us." The finality of his voice told me there was no way that I'd escape this. I knew from experience, that if it came to it, Demetri wouldn't be able to track me with his gift, so technically I could run and hide. But if I did that, I was also sealing the fate of Eric and Garick. Plus if the Volturi did manage to flip James to the guard, they would have their way in the end, and I'd be a vampire.

I nodded my head in agreement, and left the office.

I only needed to go up one more flight of stairs to get to my second destination. I raised my hand to knock on Felix's door but he opened it before I made contact.

"You came."

I smiled at the upturn of his mouth.

"I came."

**A/N: Don't hate me!! I felt it was a natural reaction for Edward to walk away from Bella!!! We know how he like to overreact. And as you've noticed I hated how SM made Bella a zombie for months after Edward left soI definitely changed that. SM made Bella so dependant on a man to keep her together, and in real life it should never be that way. But anyways, Bella has so many yummy guys in her life!! Felix, Eric (who I fashioned after Eric from True Blood) and Edward. Who should she choose!?!?!?!? Hope you enjoyed!!! And don't forget to review, or else, Charlie gets it.**

**Jshai!!**


	17. Chapter 16: Back From the Dead

Chapter 16

It was hard to convince Eric to leave the rest of his tribe behind. His main concern, which was shared by Garick, was their safety while he was gone. Aro assured him and gave his word, that no harm whatsoever will come their way. Aro could be very lethal and manipulating, but he would never go behind his word.

I spent my last night with Felix, but we didn't do anything, but sit and talk most of the night. I told him about Aro's promise that I would be changed into a vampire when I came back. Surprisingly, he was upset that Aro was forcing immortality on me.

"Why did you keep running away from me after we kissed?" I was drifting off to sleep after hours of talking and hanging out with Felix, and I had finally worked up the nerve to find out the source of the frustration I felt after each event.

Felix caressed my cheek, barely touching it. "I wanted you to come to me on your own volition. Not because you were threatened, or hurting. I for damned sure didn't want you if you were feeling the slightest bit vulnerable. I think that I loved you the day you found out about us. You took the news with such stride, and coolness. And it was only when you left that I realized that I needed to be with you. When you came back that I realized that I needed to fight for you."

"And now I'm leaving again. What's going to happen next?" I was definitely sleepy, but I wanted to see the conversation through.

"I don't know. But until we do, I can just hold you." If Felix said anything more after that, I wouldn't know. I was oblivious to all things but sleep.

It was very disorienting to wake up on a plane, and not where I last remembered being, Felix's arms.

I took a look around and saw that I was on the Volturi's private plane and I was seated next to Eric. I couldn't find Garick anywhere.

"Good morning Bella. I trust you slept well?" Eric's blue eyes bore into me and they were most intoxicating.

"I did, thank you. How where are we?" I couldn't shake the groggy feeling so I signaled to the flight staff for some juice.

"Currently we are flying over Indianapolis. We should be in Washington in about an hour." Eric informed me. I tried to not let it show how upset I was that I didn't get to say goodbye to anyone in Volterra.

"So what's the plan? Am I supposed to know who you guys are when we touchdown in Forks?"

"No. We will part at the airport in Seattle. Your father I believe will pick you up at the main gate. My brother and I will be driven to the house that the Volturi has already purchased for us to live in. I believe it is directly across the street from yours?" I nodded my head that he was correct.

"There have been movers there since this morning, planting the idea that me and my brother will be arriving in a few days. You won't be without protection though. We'll be staying in a hotel, but will be taking shifts protecting you around the clock. Once we move in, I'll be attending high school with you. My older brother will stay home and keep up appearances as being a stay at home care giver."

I smiled at the image of Garick in an apron making cookies. It was such a strange visual that popped in my head. "How does that work? Garick is your older brother, but you're the Alpha of the pack?"

"Hmm-hmm, yes. Garick is only my half brother. Though we share the same mother, his father was not of the tribe. My father however, was a direct descendant to the chief of the pack, so naturally and genetically, I am the Alpha." I thought about what he had said, and it was definitely acceptable.

"So even though we don't know each other, will I be allowed to drive you to school. You know as your neighbor?" I laughed at the thoroughness of the cover story even though I knew it was necessary.

A smile heightened Eric's chiseled features to the point that I realized that he was very attractive. "Yes you may. I have to say something though. I'm very appalled that your Volturi are sending you back out, knowing that there is a vampire that wants you dead. They are using you as bait, and I find it disgusting."

"They aren't sending me, I asked to leave. As much as I love living in the castle, the other night was the final straw of bad memories that I had accumulated there. I wanted to get away. I think coming back to my father's house, will be good for me. And I missed him and my friends terribly." I explained.

"And this Edward from the other night? You loved him?" I looked at him, seeing the apology written on his face. But it didn't matter, I didn't feel anything for Edward anymore, at least that was what I kept trying to tell myself.

"I do. I did. He was my first love, and after a while, he told me he didn't want me anymore. I hurt of course, so after a while Charlie sent me here. Then I hurt Edward, and I'm returning to where it all started."

Eric accepted my answer and took a sip of water from his glass.

When we landed, there was an air cab that took us from the hanger to a terminal of the airport. As promised, Eric and Garick exited the cab after I did, that way Charlie wouldn't notice the two strikingly blonde men get off the same plane as his daughter and then turn out to be hi neighbor.

"Bella! I didn't expect you to come home so early! I figured once you were in Italy you'd take advantage of the whole two weeks." I ran into his hug, careful not to trip and topple into him.

"I know but really I've lived in Italy most of my life. Once you get a taste of it, the thrill is gone. No, seriously, I missed you, and I didn't want to get too behind on my homework."

"Okay Bells, we don't have to make this into a big production. Come on I have a surprise for you." I was confused as to what the surprise could be. We grabbed my bags that Gianna or Heidi must have packed full of clothes, and headed for the cruiser.

The only problem was, the cruiser wasn't there, my truck was. "I figured you wouldn't want to ride home in your old man's cop car today."

There was no hiding the smile that spread across my face. "Surprisingly, I didn't drive at all in Italy. I miss my baby." I laughed at the prospect of picking my truck over the outlandish car that Aro purchased for me. Yeah it was gorgeous, but it wasn't me.

We threw the luggage in the cab and Charlie slid the keys over to me, not trusting that I would catch them if he threw them. Since I hadn't paid too much attention to the way home from Seattle the last time, Charlie gave me the directions on which way to go. Except for the few words about my trip, that was the extent of the conversation between me and Charlie.

When we pulled into the driveway, I could see the movers still working on the house that Eric and Garick would be staying at. How much stuff did Aro buy for them, but then again, knowing Aro, he was probably having them set everything up as well.

"We're getting new neighbors?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah, can you believe it? They're supposed to be here by the weekend. I hope I don't have any trouble from them. Two brothers, one is round your age I think." Charlie started mumbling about the trouble that two brothers could get into without parental supervision.

"What happened to their parents?" I asked while grabbing two pieces of luggage.

"Well now that's the sad part. The movers said he thinks they died in a fire. The older brother was able to gain custody of the younger and they moved here so he could be closer to his job." Charlie seemed immediately sorry that he spoke ill of the brothers.

"Wow, that is sad." I simply said and we left it at that. Charlie helped me get my stuff to my room, and then started acting strange.

Instead of turning around and leaving, Charlie hovered in the doorframe. Not thinking anything of it at first, I started unpacking some of the clothes.

"So, there's something I want to tell you." I turned to give Charlie my undivided attention.

"It's about the-" Charlie was about to continue when the phone rang, so he ran downstairs to grab it.

"Bella! Angela is on the phone for you." I smiled remembering my friend and ran downstairs impatiently to talk to her.

"Oh Bella, I'm so glad you're home! When Charlie found out you were coming home, he mentioned something to Jess' mom at the bank. And you know they are the two blabber mouths for the next three towns!"

We laughed at Jess' expense, especially when she told me all of the crazy stories that Jess and Lauren came up with to explain my absence. One was, Edward got me pregnant but I didn't know until a few days before I left, and I went for an abortion. Another explanation was I received a text message from one of the Cullen's and I decided to run away with them. Predictable and ridiculous at the same time.

As soon as I hung up the phone, the doorbell rang.

"Don't worry dad, I'll get it." Charlie continued sitting in his favorite chair, watching the highlights of whatever game he missed while waiting for me at the airport.

"Jacob!" I exclaimed when I saw the humungous kid staring back at me. A goofy grin was plastered upon his face, but it was strange. He looked like he was being tortured a moment before his smile took over.

"You're back. And in one piece I see." I shook my head at his intended meaning.

"Yes I'm home for good. Well until I leave for school." I was debating on whether or not I should tell him that when I left I wasn't going to be his Bella anymore. I was going to be his enemy. But then again, did it have to be that way? Granted it didn't start out dignified, but the relationship between the Volturi and the Children of the Moon, proved that it was possible to coincide. Well to a degree. Maybe there was something that I could workout with the Quileute's.

"That's good. I just wanted to see that you were okay." I squinted my eyes at Jacob, and if I had any strength, I would have pounced on him.

I closed the front door and pushed him away from me. "Jacob Black! You were checking on me to make sure I wasn't bit. You thought I was foolish enough to come home to Charlie if I was a vampire?"

"Sam sent me."

"You wanted to come. You wanted to know just as much as he did. Which only means that you don't trust me." I screamed, hissed, and whispered at the same time. It was hard to keep the rage from building up just so Charlie could stay in the house. I also had to keep reminding myself that Jacob was a werewolf and that I could accidentally trigger him to shift.

"That's true, but not about the part of not trusting you. They could have forced you." He clamored to get out. Of course I had to calm down. After all how many times did Aro threaten that very thing to me. The past week only showed that he came damn near close. And of course I couldn't forget the ultimatum he left me with.

"It's okay Jake. Don't worry about it." I turned to walk back into the house.

"I really am glad you're home Bella." Jacob said just as I reached the door.

"Sure sure." I replied.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of my alarm, most of my dreams were already forgotten. The house was oddly silent so I went to the window and saw that Charlie's cruiser wasn't there. That was fine by me since that meant there was no need to rush in the shower.

The thought of the shower only brought to my attention that I was back to sharing a bathroom with my father. Since it was my first day back at school, after my secret rendezvous with Edward, and the abortion of our love child, I wanted to look good.

I choose one of the cowl neck sweaters that Heidi and Jane picked out for me and paired it with the usual denim. They should have known better that I wouldn't choose a skirt or worse, leggings by my own free will.

I still had a little bit of time before I needed to leave for school, so I put some pop-tarts in the toaster. Once they were done, I wrapped them in a paper towel and left for school.

There was another moving truck outside Eric and Garick's house. The mover's were moving slow enough and it made me wonder if they were actually human or if they were vampires pretending to be human.

My arrival at school was to be expected. Jessica gushed over my return, and Lauren skulked in the parking lot until it was ready for class. I wondered why she didn't just leave, but then I realized that she was waiting for Tyler, who was hanging on every word I had to say about Italy.

What wasn't expected was how rough I had it easing back into a daily routine of school. I had trouble keeping up in class because of the week I'd missed. But thankfully I learned most of everything in Italy that I was able to have an idea of what was going on.

Of course, once lunch came around, everything was out the window.

I was walking down the hallway with Angela and Ben to the cafeteria. Ben was talking about some karate movie he saw the other day. I couldn't stop laughing as Angela kept rolling her eyes at how Ben was oblivious to how we weren't paying attention.

One glimpse was all it took for me to freeze up.

"Bella what's wrong?" Angela's voice sounded heavy and faraway, almost like I was listening form under water.

There was only one voice that mattered.

"Bella? I thought you were dead."

**A/N: Two chapters in one day!! I'm on a roll. You'll be happy to know that Charlie is safe (for the time being that is) Keep your reviews coming and he'll be okay. I am a bit torn as to who Bella will end up with. Those that reviewed the last chapter were pretty much split between Felix and Edward. Tradition says go with Edward, and unconventional twist goes with Felix. Ohh decisions, decisions. Let me know what you think, and I hope you enjoyed the update. I'm not sure if I'll have one up tomorrow. Love you guys!**

**Jshai**


	18. Chapter 17:Especially Edward

Chapter 17

"Alice? Why are you here? I thought you were in Connecticut?" Despite the number of kids that kept walking between us, I knew she'd hear my whisper. I only wished she wouldn't be able to hear my heart beating faster.

"Nevermind that. I--, you. We need to talk, privately." Alice rarely ever stumbled over her words, so I was immediately alarmed at what was going on. My first thought was James was here. And she returned to protect me. But why would she think I was dead? Alice made her way over to me, barely recognizable as human. I looked at Angela and Ben apologetically as Alice pulled me away. She continued pulling me away until we were in the woods that covered part of the student parking lot. It wasn't until then that she opened her mouth again.

"You have some explaining to do. I saw you die!" Alice's face was unmistakable. I could see the grief that racked her features, her eyes looked as if there were tears that she needed to shed, but they would never be visible. I felt guilty for her sorrow.

"Alice, take a breath. What exactly did you see?"

"You were being escorted by the Volturi to Italy and as soon as you entered a big room, your entire future disappeared. There wasn't even a fade to black. And you were gone. I haven't been able to see anything of you since." Alice blurted everything out and I was worried that if she had been human she might have collapsed from all of the emotions that she was feeling.

Then she suddenly narrowed her eyes at me. "How come I still don't see you?" Alice asked cautiously. She brought her nose closer to me and then stepped back satisfied. "You're still human."

"I'll get back to that. Alice, didn't Edward tell you?" I asked of her but as soon as the words came out of my mouth, I made the connection. Everything was making sense. Edward let everyone move back to Forks because he must have told them I was dead. At least in so many words he pretty much said I was dead to him. Combined with Alice's vision being blocked all this time because of the werewolves… "Oh."

"Oh what? Bella, Edward saw you? In Italy? He's such a liar! I'm gonna rip him apart!" Alice was shrieking now and I barely had time to grab a hold of her. Luckily she recognized my touch and didn't yank her arm away from me.

"No Alice, don't. I deserve it I guess." Alice looked at me curiously, so I had to continue. "I lied to you and your family first. Before Edward did. The real reason why I know so much about vampires is because I've lived with the Volturi since before I could remember. Edward saw me in Volterra because Charlie was worried about my state of mind after you guys left and sent me back for a couple of weeks."

"The reason why you couldn't see me is because, James tracked my scent to Italy, I'm guessing that when I went through the city limits of Volterra, he stopped chasing me and ran ahead to the castle. Uncle Aro used his gift and saw something about the Children of the Moon in Norway. At some point, he made a decision for members of the guard to bring back some to be our pets." Tried as I might, there was no hiding the shame that oozed out with every word that I spoke.

"Okay, that explains why Edward disappeared but I still can't see you." Then realization hit. "You have werewolves protecting you now, don't you?" I nodded my head.

"It was the only way my uncles would let me come home ahead of schedule."

"And Edward saw you. He knows you're alive?" I nodded again.

"I saved him from Jane, she was hurting him. I don't know the order of events, whether he heard about me in someone's thoughts, or if he honestly didn't know I was alive until he heard my voice. But he saw me. Someone mentioned James hunting me, and he said that James could have me. And then Edward walked away." I could feel my own tears now, welling up. I wiped my eyes to clear them away. No more tears for him I reminded myself.

"Oh Bella!" Alice pulled me into a fierce hug, one that I had years of bracing myself for thanks to Demetri and Felix before our relationship got so complicated.

"Alice! Don't you hate me?" She finally released me from her squeeze and continued to look at me.

"Don't be silly, I'm just glad that you're alive. My brother on the hand is dead." Alice looked sternly at the school and I could only guess she was yelling at him with her mind.

We started walking back towards the school now, and I noticed the Volvo about five spots from my truck. If only I'd been paying attention this morning, I would have known to expect something like this. Though, I'd never dreamed that Edward would say I was dead.

"Alice can you answer a question for me. If you were so worried that I had died, why didn't you just call Charlie. He would have told you I was alive."

"Well, looking back, I think the world just hates us. I snuck in your room and your scent was so faint. I was tempted to ask around, but I didn't. Carlisle called the house to speak with Charlie, but the pup picked up the phone, and said he was at a funeral. That coupled with my vision, we assumed it was you. A few days later, Rose was able to get a hold of Edward in South America, and told him the news."

"Wait, if Charlie wasn't at my funeral, whose was he at?" Charlie didn't mention anyone had died, and no one at school mentioned anything.

"We only just got back yesterday. We don't know either." Alice looked at me sympathetically. There was only one group of people that my dad was close with that not too many people in Forks really took the time to get to know. That would mean someone from La Push.

There was still a few minutes left of lunch and Alice started dragging me to the table where Edward was at alone. It made sense since Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie graduated last year.

I tried loosening the grip that Alice had on my arm but it was no use. She continued to lead me over to where I didn't want to be. And judging by how rigid Edward was, he didn't want me there either.

"Alice, we're in public. Just don't make a scene and let me go. Please?" I whispered to her, but my eyes never left Edward. I guess he heard me, because he turned his head at the sound of my tortured request, and it wasn't till then I was able to turn away. I looked at Alice, who stood there hurting, as she gently let my arm go.

My heart was racing, but my legs didn't want to move. When I looked away from Alice, the bell rang and everyone gathered their books. I allowed the horde of teenagers swallow me up and lead me back outside the cafeteria. But instead of going to class, I ditched the rest of the day and went home.

I was surprised to see Charlie outside the house talking to Garick when I pulled in. I grabbed my bag and walked across the street and stood next to Charlie.

"Ahhhh Garick? Am I saying it right?" Charlie turned to our new neighbor that he was just chatting to. Garick nodded his head and smiled right back. I couldn't help but smile at the amusement in Garick's face. "This is my daughter Bella, who I was telling you about. She's a senior down at the high school."

"Right right. Bella, it is a pleasure to meet you. My little brother is around here somewhere, he'll be going to the high school as well." Garick was really good at acting. For a second I forgot that I knew him already.

"But when I looked at Garick, he looked worriedly back into the woods. I knew he was hearing something of interest.

"Hey listen, I can help you guys unpack and everything Dad, why don't you go in the house and invite yourself down to Billy's. I'm sure there's a game on that you two will watch." Charlie looked at me waringly and I hoped this was not the time that Charlie would be paying attention to the world around him.

"Yeah, I guess I haven't been to the res in a bit. Oh and Bella, when I get back, we'll talk about why you're home so early." Charlie was walking backwards towards the house so he was able to see my "oh-crap-I've-been-caught" face.

I waited for Charlie to disappear in the house before I spoke a word to Garick. "Something is wrong isn't it? Where is Eric?"

"He's in trouble, but I'm torn whether or not I should bring you or not."

"Garick there's no time! Bring me, now!" We casually walked behind the truck just in case Charlie was looking out the window. When we were sure that we were out of sight, Garick threw me over his shoulder and everything was a green blur.

When we halted I heard snarls and protests from Eric. I forced myself from Garick's shoulder and saw that Eric was backed against a rock and surrounded by three wolves.

"Stop it right now!" The wolves didn't pay any attention to me, and kept growling. I walked into the circle that surrounded my friend and forced the wolves to see me. "I said stop!" I was screaming by then.

I looked right at the russet brown wolf that I knew to be Jacob.

"Jacob, I need to speak with you and I can't do that when you're like this. Can you phase back?" I asked glowering.

"He says he won't do that. He doesn't trust us. Your wolf friend here doesn't trust us." I looked back at Eric shocked.

"You know what he's saying?" I asked.

"Yes, all Children of the Moon, as you call us, can read the minds of other shifters. But don't worry I can't read yours." I let out a silent sigh of relief as I blushed at the thought that my thoughts would have been open for Eric or any of his brothers to read. Though it was understandable why Eric hadn't made that revelation known to Aro or Caius. It was bad enough that Aro had them prisoner.

"You know these wolves?" Garick asked from beside me. He was none too pleased that I stepped away from him and right into the middle of the circle.

"Yes. Eric, Garick, these are the Quileute tribe that I was telling you about. Jacob, my uncles sent Eric and Garick here for protection. They are not a danger to you or your tribe, and they can only phase at night."

"Why do you need protection?"

"Jacob, this is stupid, I'm not speaking to you through an interpreter."

Jacob huffed and ran away deeper in the woods. His three wolves still encircled around us, unmoving.

"So answer the question, why do you need protection?" Jacob suddenly said after reappearing.

"There is a psychotic vampire that is out to kill me, by association. Having Eric and Garick come with me was the only way my uncles would let me come home."

"Why though? We can protect you."

"Are you stupid Jacob? Eric and Garick didn't volunteer to protect me, they were ordered. My uncles captured them and their pack and forced them to work for the Volturi. If I had even mentioned one word about your tribe, a tribe that can phase whenever mind you, what do you think would have happened? As it is now, Eric and Garick can never return back to Italy." I explained.

"Wait what do you mean?" The protests from Eric were almost deafening.

"My uncle can read the thoughts of anyone he touches, except for me. If you went back to Italy, he'll want a full report of your time here, and that will include reading your mind. He'll know every thought you've ever had, including your encounter with Jacob's pack. I can't let that happen."

"My brothers are still there. You'd leave them to die? How are you any better than your vampires."

"Eric, I won't forget about them. I'll figure something out. Please trust me, the time will come and I will make sure it is my last dying action that they will be free from Aro."

"Brother, leave it be." Garick whispered.

I hoped that Eric didn't see this as a betrayal on my part, and I knew there was going to be some smoothing out later on down the line. I just hope that I could come up with a plan.

"Jacob, where's Sam?"

"He's chasing a vampire into Canada, Paul and Embry are with him. It sucks with the Cullen's back we can't patrol too much through Forks. But this one was particularly close to the reservation."

"What did he look like?" The mention of a vampire in the area diverted Eric away from me. I smiled internally because he reminded me of Emmett, always ready to fight.

"Long black hair, black skin. We tracked him in from the north, but his scent was all over Forks." Jacob said.

"Oh that may be Laurent. He's a friend of the Cullen's." I said casually.

"He didn't look like a friend of the Cullen's. He hardly went anywhere near the manor. What kind of friend would stop for a visit but doesn't go up to the house he's visiting?" Jacob tried reasoning with me but I just waved him off.

"He probably could smell that they were gone. And anyways, speaking of the Cullen's, thanks for letting me know that they were back."

"They only just got back two days ago. I figured that's why you came home." I shook my head indicating that wasn't the case.

"Listen Jake, when Sam gets back, can you explain the situation with Eric and Garick to him. Also it might be a good idea for you guys to coordinate with them."

Jacob nodded to Eric who also nodded back. I hoped that the two tribes would be able to get along. Following Jacob's lead, the wolves cleared out of formation and ran in the direction of the reservation.

I could only see this as one disaster averted.

The next morning, I offered to drive Eric to school in front of Charlie. We had already worked the arrangement out last night, but it seemed really important to Charlie that I made friends with someone that wasn't a Cullen.

I made a mental note to call Afton and thank him for hacking into the school system and put Eric in all of my classes.

Of course the whole school was abuzz with the arrival of a new student. And as predictable as ever, Lauren was not pleased that he was getting out of my truck. I guess I could kind of understand where she was coming from. All she knew was that the hot male residents of Forks were all attracted to me. Between Edward, her brief encounter with Felix, and now Eric. She even showed animosity towards Jacob, even though he was younger than me. She just didn't have any idea that it was really the supernatural that was attracted to me.

It was odd knowing that Eric was with me the entire time, how safe I felt. I had always felt safe with Edward, prior to our break-up, but I didn't know that James was after me then. We had always assumed that he was after Edward. I guess though looking back, I should have realized that when James jumped out of my house. The signs were there and we were all oblivious.

Throughout the day, I caught glimpses from Alice, who looked like she wanted to approach me. I saw her wrinkle up her nose every time which only told me that Eric smelled to her just like the Quileute tribe.

In lunch however, all bets were off and Alice came up to the table that me and Eric shared alone.

"Bella may I speak with you?" Her feet tapped impatiently against the floor, but it sounded like her foot was about to go through the linoleum any minute.

"Sure, Alice.

"Without your bodyguard?" Alice's voice sneered towards Eric. Eric graciously flashed a gorgeous smile her way regardless her rude behavior, and walked to Jessica's table. We watched him sit down and start talking to Eric about something. Well I didn't know what they were talking about, but I was sure that Alice could hear them.

"What are you doing? You and Edward belong together." Alice asked.

"Edward walked away from me. Not just once but twice. I lied to you guys, I get that, and I'm sorry. But I had a secret that wasn't mine to tell." I said with a hushed voice.

"I know, but you guys have to fix it."

"Alice I love you, and I probably will until the day I die. But it's not my problem to fix." I quickly reminded her.

"Well I don't know why you say 'till the day you die.' It better be much longer than that." She rose from her seat.

"I guess you are right about that." I mumbled at the reminder of Aro's deal. I wasn't looking forward to saying goodbye to my human life just yet, but I need to in order to keep it safe from my vampire world. Aro was ruthless enough to hold my father over my head, figuratively and literally.

"You're going to become a vampire? For real? Stupid werewolves, I can't see anything."

I told Alice the terms of the deal, and I made her promise to keep it from everyone, especially Edward. Though it might have been nice to let Rose in, maybe she'd stop hating me.

"Bella, would you come by the house today? Esme is dying to see you, so is Carlisle. Everyone misses you." She cast an eye at Edward who was alone at the table him and his siblings used to occupy. I refused to let my eyes linger longer than they needed to.

"Alright, I'll drop Eric off at home, and I'll come right by." Alice was genuinely happy that I agreed to come by. Though I would like to see Esme and Carlisle, I was still a little apprehensive about the rest of the family.

Especially Edward.

**A/N: So I'm still torn between Edward and Felix. I've heard a lot of good arguments for both, which is partly why I haven't written anything over the weekend. I'm about to just flip a coin! Anyways, hope you enjoyed, and as always REVIEW!!!!!**

**Love you guys,**

**Jshai**


	19. Chapter 18: Conversations

My hands were doing some weird clammy thing as I gripped the steering wheel, driving to the Cullen manor. I had just dropped Eric off at his house and I was now making my way down the hidden, twisted road that would soon turn into their driveway. With every bend, my heart pounded just a little bit more and I was sure the vampires I was about to visit could hear it. I guess it wouldn't matter, I wasn't planning on staying long. I made sure that Eric knew that I wouldn't be in danger so that he didn't need to follow me in the woods.

The house stood in the middle of the forest, not exactly as I had remembered it. It seemed much more spectacular, like my own memories couldn't do it justice. This was the first time I was here since before me and Edward broke up. I was surprised at how well I was able to keep the memories from rushing back to me. If I allowed them to, they'd crush me.

I took the few steps up the porch and stopped in front of the door. Part of me wanted to turn around and leave, never to give the Cullen's a second chance. But I couldn't do it. This visit was for Esme.

A few deep breaths later, I raised my hand needlessly as Alice opened the door for me.

"Bella! I'm so happy you came." Alice squealed as she pulled me into the house.

"I told you I would, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but I can't see anything when the stupid wolves are involved, so I didn't know if you were telling the truth." Alice was all bubbly, but for a change, it was irritating me more than usual.

"Hmmm, Alice, you know what? I'm out of here. Eric and his brothers, along with Jacob and his pack may be wolves, but they are my friends. What they aren't, is stupid, and if you are going to keep insulting my friends, then there is absolutely nothing I want to do with you." I stood glaring at Alice, who kind of cowered back. I had never been that angry or that forward with her before and I instantaneously felt bad.

"Please, Bella. Forgive the offensiveness of my daughter. Alice sometimes speaks without thinking." Esme's voice sounded in my ear and she was soon standing beside me. I looked at her auburn hair and realized that I missed her a lot. While I was here, she was like a mother to me, something I never thought of the wives as. Even after Gillina was changed, I never saw her as a mother figure again. But Esme.

"I'm sorry Bella. I didn't mean anything by it I swear." I nodded towards Alice without really looking at her. Esme grabbed my hand and brought me closer to her. She smelled of vanilla and honey as her scent wafted into my nose with every movement as we embraced.

"Bella, I'm so glad to see you. You have no idea how much I've missed you." I smiled as Esme continued holding my hand as I walked with her into the living room. My stomach lurched downwards when I saw everyone perched on the couch and chairs. Including Edward.

Involuntarily, the blood rushed to my head.

"Well I guess we have some explaining to do." Esme said as she lead me over to a white leather reclining chair. At first I thought I was going to be seated next to Edward, but instead I had this chair to myself.

"Esme, I think it's only fair that Edward do the explaining since he was the one that started this catastrophe." I looked around the room and all of the vampires were staring at Edward, who was staring at the ground. For a second, I thought something was wrong because he wasn't moving. He didn't look up at anyone when they spoke. And I knew at least Alice was practically screaming her thoughts to Edward, if not Esme certainly was.

We stood there for several minutes before anybody said anything next. The silent stillness may not have bothered anyone, but it was starting to kill me.

"Well before one of you begins, I just need to explain something. I lied to you and I'm not sure that any of you could ever know how sorry I feel for that. I was told not to reveal who I truly was, Aro and everyone in the Volturi are my family. But then I came here, and you guys were like my family as well. I was torn, and several times I attempted to bring it up, but I guess I chickened out. I really wanted to tell you. But then you left me."

"It was my fault we left. It was what I thought was right. At the time. I didn't know that James was after you.'' Edward started.

"Edward, don't. I'm over it. Really."

"No I need to explain. I was hurt and I realize now that I shouldn't have been. I had no idea how hurt you were. I don't care that you lied anymore, my family sure doesn't. We understand." He rose from his seat and was instantly in front of me. "Bella, I need you in my life. I need a chance to make it up to you."

I saw his lips moving, but the words didn't comprehend. Alice was bouncing up and down, waiting for my reply. Suddenly, she frowned and I saw that Edward frowned as well.

"I'd be hard-pressed to believe that you forgot about telling me you didn't love me anymore. And you didn't want me in your existence. And then you show up in Italy, and the only thing you can manage to do is turn your back on me. And now you stand before me, asking me back. No, you had your chance in Italy."

I took a couple of steps back from Edward and turned to Esme. "Esme, Carlisle, it was nice seeing you again. All of you really. But I promised Eric I wouldn't be long."

I heard hushed whispers from Alice and Esme, presumably to Edward. Knowing the both of them, they were yelling at him to fix it. But was there anything to fix?

I had just put the key in the door when Edwards cold hands wrapped around my wrist. "Bella, I'm sorry. Please forgive me." He bent his head so that it rested on mine. The scent of his breath lingered on my face.

"Edward, I know you're sorry, and I do forgive you. But my forgiveness does not extend far enough to take you back. You deliberately said that James could have me. And left without another word, or a chance to explain. And the worst part of all of this, you left me twice. I may have held back the truth of my past, but everything I felt for you and your family was real. Everything you've told me about our relationship was a lie."

"I never lied about our relationship Bella." I huffed at his words and interrupted him."

"I love you Bella. No I don't want you, never have. It was all a bet. I love you always have and want to make things right. Call me crazy, Edward, but I think somewhere in there is a lie about our relationship." I ripped my arm from Edward, knowing there was going to be a bruise there later. I hurried into the cab, and started the ignition.

"I'll still fight for you." Edward yelled and I was infuriated that I could hear him over the truck. It was moments like this that made me wish I still had my trusty and very loud Chevy.

I was amazed that I kept the tears from falling on my drive home, but I was even more amazed that after parking the truck in the driveway, I ran to Eric to confide in.

I knocked on the door, but no one came. It was also a little disturbing to look through the front windows and see the lights were off. I tried the door and found it unlocked. This definitely wasn't a good sign but I couldn't stop myself from entering the door.

However, when I heard something tinker from the second level, I forgot about my compulsion and turned back around to the outside.

"Stop! Bella!"

I halted where I stood and turned around. "Felix? What are you doing here?"

"I convinced Aro that the wolves weren't enough protection. They are limited in strength in their human form, as such no match for a vampire should this James try to attack you when there is no moon. You are his number one concern, you know. He does love you. More than anyone on the guard, maybe more than his wife."

"And why is that Felix? What am I to him, that he loves so much. The only thing I've seen him love is –" I stopped. I was really not feeling how everything seemed to be coming to me late. How could I not have seen it?

"Bella what is it? What does he love?" I squinted my eyes slightly to Felix, my forehead furrowed together.

"How powerful will I be? As a vampire?" Felix's normally smooth face showed signs of worry as he realized that I figured something major out.

"You've been keeping secrets from me. For him." I continued. So far there have been two men, albeit vampires, that have loved me, and have betrayed me.

"Bella, it's not like that. I can see how it looks. Aro hasn't told anyone what he knows about you. Eleazar and him spoke privately. There has been speculation though."

"Eleazar? The veggie vamp? What does he have to do with anything?"

Felix shut the door to Eric's and we were walking towards my house now. I no longer felt the rage boiling up inside me and I let Felix lead me home.

"Eleazar used to work for the Volturi. Many centuries ago. Until he met Carmen. From time to time, he still does favors for Aro, it was a condition of his release from his employment. Eleazar's gift is that he can sense what gifts a vampire has, and in your case, what gifts a human will possess if they are turned." Felix let his words linger in a way that he felt that I should understand eventually, but I got it immediately.

"So when he touched me the first time, he realized he couldn't read my thoughts? Well that wouldn't make sense. I was a baby what thoughts could I have possibly had?" This was sounding way to ridiculous to me.

"Exactly! He had Jane and Alec try their gifts on you, but you showed no signs of being affected. So he decided to wait a few years, wait until you developed mentally, to withstand the torture. However, when you still didn't respond to anything, Eleazar was called."

"So Eleazar and Aro are the only ones who know what I'll be? And Aro plans on using me when I become a vampire. That's good to know." I walked away from Felix and entered my house. Charlie wasn't home but I decided to start dinner for him regardless. It looked like it would be spaghetti night at the Swan residence.

"Bella? Are you okay?" Felix asked. He sat at the kitchen table and kept his eyes focused on me.

"No. I'm not. Aro is using me. Edward is fighting some idiotic idea that I can be with him again. My father wants me with Jacob. Jacob wants me with him. Alice and most of the Cullen's want me with Edward. It's like everyone has some hidden agenda when I'm concerned, and it's exhausting."

I blinked back some tears but when I opened them, Felix was standing in front of me. He gently placed his hand on my cheek and the coolness of his touch calmed me down. I let my face lean into his hand and kissed his palm.

"And what do you think my hidden agenda is?" Felix whispered.

I looked into his eyes, and I was lost for a minute. I focused hard to remember inhale and exhale.

"You don't have one." I stuttered. My back was pressing into the counter as Felix moved closer and closer to me. Our bodies were pressed together.

"And that's where you're wrong. You're my hidden agenda. I didn't just come here to protect you. Demetri mentioned that Cullen was back here, and I casually mentioned to Aro the flaws of only the wolves protecting you. Of course with Aro, he saw through my plans, and let me come anyway. You know the old man wants us together anyway." Felix released a terrifyingly flirtatious smile that made me want to melt. It was a good thing his body and the counter were holding me up for support.

"So if you're staying in Forks, where will you be living?" I asked him to keep my mind, and honestly my body, from being wrapped around him only.

"I bought a house on the outskirts of town. Your wolf brothers already know I'm here. I was visiting with them before they ran off."

"You saw them? Where are they?" I asked, suddenly remembering that neither of them were home.

"Some guy came knocking on their door. He said he needed to speak with them privately and they ran off. I wasn't too concerned so I just stayed there. You know some of the people in this town really need to work on their personal hygiene. That guy smelled kind of off."

I smirked at how oblivious Felix was to the shape shifters. I was also relieved that Jacob and his pack smelled different to vampires than the Children of the Moon. I wonder what that could mean.

"Yeah some people do." I simply said as he backed away from me and returned to his seat. I started cooking the sausage for the meat sauce, and boiled the water.

I was relieved that Felix hadn't immediately recognized the scent of Jacob or whoever it was that knocked on Eric's door. I hadn't realized that Jacob's tribe would smell different from Eric's tribe, but I guess they were from different climates. And then a more urgent thought came to me. What was so vital that Jacob's pack would need Eric and Garick? It wasn't like they would be able to provide any immediate help in hunting, they could phase at will.

"Hello? Earth to Bella? You're water is boiling." Felix brought me out of my thoughts and I added the pasta to cook.

"So you never mentioned that you were happy to see me. Have I overstepped my bounds already?" Felix asked, but it wasn't in his normally confident tone. He sounded worried.

I stopped what I was doing and sat down across the table from him. "I am happy. I've missed you. I'm just confused why you put me on the plane without letting me say goodbye." I had to point that out, because for a moment I was hurt by his actions.

"I'm sorry Bella. I thought it would be easier for the both of us if we didn't have to say goodbye." Felix grabbed my hands and clasped them in his own.

"Well I wish everyone would stop thinking for me and just ask me what I want." I mumbled to myself. I was sure Felix heard me but he didn't say anything in response.

"I think it's time for me to leave anyway." I spun around, shocked at the sudden turn our conversation had taken. I was sure he knew I was referencing Edward earlier, but that was no reason to abruptly leave. I had told him I was happy to see him, and if I was honest with myself, I was excited that he was staying.

"Why? You just got here. Stay." I pleaded.

"Your boyfriend might object."

"You're my bo—." I started but realized we never established those boundaries, but regardless Felix seemed pleased with my slip of the tongue.

"Edward is about to arrive."

"Don't you dare leave." I scolded Felix as I stalked over to the door. I had it opened it just as Edward was about to knock on the door.

"Someone is here. A vampire." Edward said immediately. He looked like he was about to search my house but I managed to stop him.

I opened the door completely, letting Felix into his view.

"Hi to you too Edward. Can I get you something?" I asked, remembering my manners, though they didn't really apply to vampires.

"Ahhh, Edward. Aro will be pleased to know that you are back home. I trust that you've managed to sort out the misunderstanding regarding Bella's unapparent demise." Felix stated eerily as if he was Aro himself. I couldn't help but look back in what I couldn't determine as amazement or disgust. Aro wasn't exactly one of my favorite vampires right at the moment.

"It would appear there are some things that still need sorted out." Edward was straining his voice, trying to speak. The bridge of his nose was pinched and I assumed that Felix was thinking about something that Edward didn't like.

"Well I'll leave you two alone. I am quite hungry." Felix made his way to the door but Edward stepped in front of him. They continued to just stare at each other and I was afraid that they were going to start fighting.

"Can you just keep a range of more than 100 miles? Forks is our permanent residence and we wouldn't want anyone to get suspicious." Edward finally spoke.

"Well of course dear Edward. I wouldn't dream of it. After all, Forks is now my home too." Felix smirked at Edward's reaction, and then ran off. Without fully looking behind him, Edward kept his head low as if listening for something.

I knew he was about to speak because he opened his eyes and looked at me.

He reached behind him and closed the door for me. "Can we talk?"

**A/N: I know it's been a while. I was researching something for the story that I thought was going to end up in this chapter but it felt like I was holding onto this chapter far longer than I intended. So maybe next chapter. Don't forget to vote on the poll. And some of you will be happy to know that I made my decision. Edward or Felix. Felix or Edward, who will it be, maybe even Eric is in the running...??? I know who it'll be and some of you may be mad but its... I can't tell ya just yet, it'll ruin the story. Hate the chapter, love the chapter, review the chapter!!! Love you guys.**

**Jshai**


	20. Chapter 19: Considerations

It was finally the weekend and I took the chance to spend Saturday by myself. I grabbed a blanket from the linen closet with the intention of laying out in the sun to get some color. Though I was convinced that my birth mother was part albino because no matter what I did, I never grew any darker, not even a sunburn.

This was the best way I could think of to relieve some of the stress I felt this week with my return to Forks. Of course much of it stemmed from the gossip of me going out with Eric and Felix at the same time. I was always with one or both of them. Which also reminded me, how stupid I was to praise Afton for putting Eric in all of my classes, now I also had to deal with Felix in my classes as well. It was like they took turns on claiming me for themselves.

There was also the tortured looks from Alice as she was unsure of what to do. I knew it was hard on her that she wasn't able to see my future, and I felt sorry that I was always with Eric. I tried with every fiber to avoid her stares, but I still knew. It was like she was trying to mentally warm my heart back up to Edward again.

Eric was frustrated because he realized the importance of never returning to Italy again. The relations between him and Jacob's pack seemed to be strengthening despite his growing resentment that the initial ambush from Jacob's pack jeopardized his chances of being reunited with the rest of his own. I needed to find a way to make that up to him.

Charlie has been upset with ever since my first day back at school since I cut part of the day. I argued that no one told me that the Cullen's were back and then on top of that, I had to find out from someone unrelated to me that someone close to my father had passed away. After seeing things from my perspective for a moment, I was able to escape being grounded miraculously.

Finally, there was Edward himself. Edward was constantly staring at me, and unfortunately he was in my last period art class. It's been pretty hard concentrating on renaissance art when I had a wall of hair separating me from the world, including Edward.

Thinking of Edward only brought back the memory of when he came over a couple of days ago, wanting to speak with me. Of course, that was the day I found out that Felix was back in Forks, and was planning on staying. After waiting for Felix to leave his hearing range, Edward finally started speaking.

"Can we talk?" Edward asked.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure I'll have anything to say. But I'll listen." I motioned for him to come in as I returned to the kitchen to finish dinner.

"Bella. I was wrong. I was wrong to leave you here, I was wrong to lie to you and say that I never loved you. And most importantly I was wrong to turn my back on you in Italy. You were, are, and will always be the most important reason I exist. You're who I've been waiting for to give me a reason to want to exist. I love you and no one; vampire, wolf, or even a human can say otherwise. Bella Swan DiMarco, I would do anything to make this right. Just please give me a chance."

I turned the stove off, and gave the meat sauce a quick stir before I turned around to face him. I opened my mouth to speak, but he held up a finger to my lips.

"I don't need Alice to tell me that we belong together. Yes I've seen her visions of us together, but it was something that I've always known. I see you with me, and no one else. I just need that second chance to make you see it too."

I raised my eyebrow slowly in question. "Are you done?" Edward nodded his head and stepped away from me. I took a couple of breaths to keep myself composed and to gather my thoughts.

"Edward, I don't even know what to say to that. I mean, I've forgiven you, I don't know how many times I have to tell you that. But being with you again, I'm not sure I can." My hands were fumbling around with my shirt and wouldn't stop moving. "Maybe if we start off slow?" I tried my best to imitate his crooked smile, but it didn't feel right.

"Slow? Bella I don't have time for slow. Between Eric and his thoughts, and Felix and Jacob, and Mike and Tyler, you get the idea. There is a line for your heart, and I'm the one that's best suited for it."

"So this is a game to you? Edward, it's slow or nothing." I started biting my lower lip nervously.

"Okay, okay. Slow." Edward conceded.

"Hi. I'm Bella, I'm from Volterra, Italy. And I lived with vampires." I stuck my hand out for Edward to take.

"You want to go this slow?" Edward said with the crooked smile that I adored. I resisted the urge to jump on him and just looked at him, reminding him that we were taking it slow.

"Okay, fine. My name is Edward Cullen. I, along with my family are vampires. And I'm in love with a human named Bella." Suddenly, Edward was back in my face, and with only a split second to brace myself, I felt his cool lips on mine. They started moving together in rhythm and I couldn't control myself any longer. My arms were wrapped around his neck and I was kissing him back. Even with my mind screaming not to take him back so easily, it was like my entire body knew that he was right. We belonged together.

All too soon, Edward pulled away from me, leaving me lingering for more. The way he looked strained let me know someone was close. We just kind of looked at each other.

"Charlie is down the street. Should I be here?" Edward asked.

"I'm not sure." Before I had a chance to blink, I was alone.

I sat up from my blanket with frustration at thinking about the memory, particularly the kiss. Ever since that day, my feelings for Edward and Felix were confusing. Even with Edward lumping Eric together with Felix and Tyler and Jake, seemed to make it weird to be around either of them.

I looked up and saw that the sun had gone back into the clouds, so I gathered my blanket and started to run inside.

"You know we can't protect you if you don't tell us what you're up to." Felix's voice called from behind me. I turned and saw him perched on the fence that separated Charlie's yard from the people that lived behind us.

"Are you kidding someone might have seen you!" I yelled at his carelessness.

"Oh relax, I waited until the sun started to wane before I came over. Besides it's been too sunny for the past two days. I needed to get out. I hate being cooped up for so long." Felix jumped from the fence and made his way to me. His arm immediately went for my waist, but I let it just brush against me as I walked into the house.

"Ok now see, what is that?" Felix asked and I could see the hurt in his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been avoiding me lately. I just don't get it."

"It's just weird being here, that's all. And I don't mean physically, although I do miss being in Italy. But I mean, there's you, Edward, my friend Jacob, Eric, all wanting to protect me from James, well in Jacob's case, from Edward. And at the same time you all want to be with me. Then, as if ya'll weren't enough, there's the guys I see every day at school, Mike, Tyler, Eric. It's very exhausting. Which is why I wanted to take a break from everyone: supernatural and natural." Obviously Felix disregarded my objections to seeing anyone today.

"I'm sorry I didn't know that was why you needed a break. I guess I can see where the confusion could come in. Though I kind of hoped that your feelings for me were solidified." Felix pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my forehead.

"Wait why does your Jacob friend want to protect you from Edward? Does he know what Edward is?" Felix asked, but he was definitely amused.

"He saw how hurt I was when Edward left. We're kind of on bad terms right now because he thinks I'm letting Edward slide to easy. Jake thinks I should kill him for what he did." I skipped over answering Felix's second question, hoping to avoid lying to yet someone else.

"And besides Felix, my feelings for you are solid. I just need to make sure everyone else will be okay with my decision. We'll be leaving for Italy as soon as I graduate."

"Well good in that case," Felix let me go and got down on one knee. "Marry me."

All I could do was gasp as Felix opened the small black box to reveal a huge, sparkly ring. "I want to love you forever, even though forever doesn't seem long enough."

"Felix, wait. Umm I don't want to get married." I started biting my lip again.

"What do you mean? It would be the next step after you graduate. Especially after you're a vampire."

"I know. Italy, vampire, guard. I got it, check. It's just I never factored in marriage. I mean look at Aro and Caius, they hardly spend any time with their wives. Then look at Renee and Charlie. She had just had me when she left Charlie. It's not like I have any good models of what marriage should be like. I'm sorry, but no."

"But Bella-."

"No, Felix. Thank you for the proposal, but you have to respect my feelings. Maybe once I'm a vampire, I'll revisit the idea of marriage, but right now, it's a deal breaker." Felix looked defeated and sort of pathetic since he was still on one knee. He placed the ring back in his pocket and left.

I couldn't help but exhale loudly at how rough that was. I knew what rejection felt like, and while I didn't deny him an eternity together, I denied him matrimonially.

It was only mid afternoon, but my supernatural-free day still felt shot so I decided to walk across the street to Eric's. I was surprised to find Garick, Eric, Jacob and Seth playing a video game together.

"Oh we've bonded, I see." I mumbled as I walked through the door.

"Well at least we're not engaged to a leech." Jacob pitched over the whooping noise the rest of them made.

"Well neither am I. You guys heard all of that?" All four boys looked at me as if asking if I was serious. I was beginning to hate every single person that had supernatural abilities. If Angela turned out to be a witch, I'd hate her too, though it would be rather hard.

"So what are you doing here if you wanted a day from all of us supernatural kids?" Eric threw his controller down and just stared at me.

"Tonight's a full moon. You'll be patrolling tonight?" I asked Eric and Garick.

"Yeah we'll be giving these guys a break. Though, I don't expect a peep from this character. He hasn't showed up on the radar anytime lately. Don't you still talk to Demetri? Why don't you have him tell us where he is and we can take care of this." Garick seemed especially eager, even though once the fight was over it didn't mean that he would see his four brothers again.

"Demetri is a company man. He'd never go against Aro's orders. They're still hoping to somehow convert James, if you will. The only way you'd be able to go after him, is if James came here."

"And would your vampires interfere?" Eric asked accusingly.

I couldn't bear to look either of them in the eye. "I'm not sure."

"Typical bloodsuckers."

"Look, I'ma tell you the same thing I tell them. Enough with the name calling. I don't see you guys as vampires, werewolves or shape shifters. You are family and friends. I'm neutral in your little petty wars with each other."

"Bella, I'm sorry, and I'm sure everyone else is too." Jacob apologized.

"So why are you here?"

"I just wanted to see how you guys were doing. I didn't know you had company, so. Felix mentioned that I was making it hard for everyone to protect me since I've been avoiding all of you. I guess that gives me something to work on."

"Don't worry about it. You're a private girl. We get that. It's your blo--, vampires that don't seem to get that." I hit Jacob on his chest playfully and let them return to their game. When I got home, Charlie was there with a couple of pizzas.

"Bella, figured I'd give you a break. Listen, I want to talk to you about something."

"And you'd thought by buttering me up with pepperoni and sausage would do the trick?" We both laughed at the obviousness of his tactics, the only thing that wasn't obvious to me was what he wanted to talk about.

"Well maybe. See the thing is, you've only been here for a little over a year, and in about two months you're leaving for Italy again. Who knows if I'll get to see you."

" Dad, I'll come visit. During one of my breaks and stuff. Maybe not during the first year of university, but I'll come back to see you. I promise." The first year would be impossible for me to visit because of the blood thirst that I've heard so many vampires go through. Whenever there was a newborn in the castle I was often confined to my bedroom. But a visit after the one year mark was still plausible.

"Oh honey I know, that's the plan. But it's Italy. I'm just afraid that once you're back over there, you'd forget about your old man. Now I appreciate that you humored me a few months ago and filled out those college applications. Well you humored me and Edward, but regardless, a few envelopes came in the mail today, and well, I opened them." I smiled at how excited he seemed, so I knew I was accepted into one.

"So, which have been accepted to?" I asked as I bit into a slice.

"All of them actually. University of Alaska, Washington, and even Dartmouth. Very impressive!" I knew I had the grades, thanks to my Italian vampires my education was quite excellent. "I know you've had your heart set on the University of Italy, but all I'm asking is keep your options open. Especially U of Washington. It's close by and still far from here. Just consider it?" I nodded my head and smiled. Charlie grabbed a couple more slices and decided it was time to look for a game on the TV.

"I promise I'll consider it, dad." I finished my pizza and went upstairs to my room.

**A/N: Okay, here is the latest chapter. I rushed to get it out since it's more of a filler than anything else. It will probably be a while before the next chapter (but not too long, it just doesn't look like I'll be able to start it till the weekend.) but I promise you it will be a long chapter, or at least long enough to be worth the wait. Also, I think you guys are awesome with your reviews and private messages, but please don't ask me what my plans are. I get so conflicted between keeping plot twists and decisions, and everything in general a secret until they get published and easing your worries and just telling you individually. And even just telling you that, makes me worry that I've said too much. All I can say is please continue reading the story, it will all work out in the end. (Again I may have said too much. agggggHHHH!!!) So before I feel I give more away, I'll leave you all be! Love you guys,**

**Jshai**


	21. Chapter 20: Safe

**So I think I'm just going to stop telling everyone what my plans are as far as the updates, because obviously i lied. I was able to get another chapter in, and it didn't even turn out to be what I originally planned. I would say next chapter, but can't be sure because I might end up lying again...where's Alice when you need her. I hope you guys enjoy the latest. And don't forget to review when you're done!!**

**Jshai!**

Since my day was spoiled with vampires and werewolves, I decided it was time for me to finish the work that I missed while I was in Italy. I didn't miss anything major, I already handed in some of the papers that were due and I've also was allowed to do make-up tests after school on Thursday and Friday. It was just going to be an evening of the small assignments, which was fine by me.

I went to go change my shirt into my long police academy t-shirt that Charlie got me from the station, but I couldn't find it. I looked underneath my bed, but nothing was there except a few shoes. I decided to change into my sweats since the shirt was probably in the wash. But that didn't make sense cause I just pulled it out of the dryer a few days ago.

I stuffed my ear buds in and turned my iPod to Demetri's favorite band, Paper Tongues, and started my homework. I was well into my studies when I noticed movement by the window.

"Has anyone ever told you that that is kind of creepy?" I said under my breath. I was a bit startled but I didn't want to admit it.

Edward perched in the rocking chair and stared at me, a slight smile was plastered on his perfect face. "Actually, you're the only one that I've done this to. Would you like me to leave?"

"No. You can stay. I want you to." For about two minutes, we just kind of stared at each other. With neither one of us speaking, or even moving for that matter, the atmosphere was pleasant and calming.

"So I was accepted into some colleges today. Charlie wants me to consider staying in the states for college." I casually mentioned to Edward who looked like he was pondering the idea himself.

"But you're not sure?" His words were hesitant. He knew of my plans prior to coming to Forks involved going to University in Italy, but he had no idea that I was to be made a vampire. Aro's new deal was pretty much putting university on hold for at least a year. I was hoping though, that I'd be able to adopt the Cullen diet, and after a year I'd visit Charlie one last time and then either go to school or continue my work in the guard.

"I have responsibilities in Italy. In Volterra. They cannot be ignored."

"Then what's the point of taking it slow, if you're going to leave me?" Edward's brow was pinching.

But before I could answer, Edward was sitting on the edge of my bed, cradling me in his arms. "Bella, I can't waste my time, if it's going to be limited with you."

"Well isn't that what you wanted before? I told you we could have forever but you were adamant that I remain human. My time was limited then."

"But on that timescale, I may have had fifty sixty years with you. Now it's only a matter of months." Edward was really upset, and it hurt me to see the pain in his eyes. I reached my hand to his face to comfort him.

"Edward, don't you see, everyday brought me closer to death. Withstanding James, or my uncle, there are always human ways to die. I could be in a car accident tomorrow. Or clumsy me fall into a well and crack my head. No one would know, not even Alice. Once my time was up, it would be up, as long as I remained human."

"Then I'll take the chance away from you. I'll change you, tonight if I have to. I can't ever lose you again." He kissed my forehead and let his lips keep contact with me. I felt a tear roll down my cheeks because I knew what needed to happen, and it needed to be done soon. But the thought of doing it tonight was eating me up inside.

His phone choose that exact moment to ring.

"It's Alice." I nodded for him to take it, and untangled myself from him. "Alice, what's going on?"

Edward listened for a moment and then hung up the phone. Whatever Alice told him, didn't please him at all. Edward listened to the room, or perhaps outside my hearing range.

"Charlie is snoring downstairs. Are you up to coming with me? Or would you rather stay here?" I looked at the clock and saw that it was later than what I assumed it was, but I quickly gave Edward my answer.

"I'm going with you." The two of us, rather Edward ran while he carried me in his arms, to the manor I presumed.

When we arrived the grand house was well lit, and I could tell some type of activity was taking place.

"Bella! Welcome back, I just wish it was under better circumstances. I fear you're going to dread coming to this house soon." Esme greeted me. It was hard reassuring her that I'd never get tired of coming to her home when I had no idea what was going on at that exact moment.

"Alice, what is the problem?" Edward brushed past his mother and headed straight for his favorite sister.

"Well for the benefit of Bella, stop poking through my head!" There was a momentary stare-down between the two siblings. Emmett scooped me up in his arms and gave me a bear hug.

"Hey shortie, don't forget, me and Rose don't know either."

"Okay fine, for Bella, Rose, and Em, I'll speak out loud." Edward backed off and away from Alice a few steps, and Alice took center stage in the living room.

"Okay, Bella, please tell me you've heard about all of the strange disappearances in Seattle? I don't want to waste time to catch you up, if you haven't." I nodded yes. Recently there have been some disappearances and a rash of murders in Seattle. The police were considering a serial killer.

"Well, we've been speculating that it was a newborn vampire loose in Seattle." Jasper interrupted Alice, who didn't seem to mind.

"A newborn? But wouldn't his or hers creator have mentioned the Volturi and the rules?" I asked.

"That's what we figured. But then more and more disappearances started occurring. And more and more of it was a reminder of something from Jasper's past." Alice explained.

I looked at the vampire with the frosted blonde hair who had returned to looking like stone. I had never had much of a relationship with Jasper. Not because I didn't want to, but more because he seemed afraid to be anywhere near me after the one incident in the parking lot.

Jasper rolled up his sleeve and I immediately saw something peculiar about him. While the skin of every vampire I've ever known was exceptionally smooth, Jasper's arm was covered in crescent scars, similar to the one I had from my bite.

"Jasper, what happened to you?" I whispered.

"Unlike my brothers and sister, Esme or even my wife, I did not have such a romanticized or easy transition to this life." Rose hardened at his words and I remembered the story that she and Edward had shared with me over the past summer. Alice on the other hand didn't remember her transformation, or even her human life. She just woke up one day as a vampire.

"The coven that made me become this, was a coven that was bent on power. But not the power that your Aro craves. More of a territorial power. You see I was a in the Civil War, a young, arrogant officer who rose through the ranks fairly fast and easy.

One night, I was accosted by three beautiful vampires who were determined to win what we now call the Newborn War."

"Hey wait, I know that story. It was part of my vampire history courses at the castle." All of the vampires in the room stopped to gawk at me. "Aro thought it was important for me to learn human and vampire history. Caius was an excellent teacher in vampire history. I know all about the newborn wars, the children of the moon, and of the forbidden vampire babies. There are even a few stories of other different trials that the Volturi have administered. Most of those stories are locked in a vault."

"You mean there are firsthand accounts of some of these trials as you call them?" Carlisle asked, and I nodded my head.

"Well since you're up to speed on that, I've been thinking that what's been going on in Seattle may just be another turf war. That is until Alice had a vision." Jasper looked back to his wife worriedly. But at the same time there was a twinkle in his eye, like he was excited.

"In my vision I saw--," Alice started, but she didn't need to finish.

"It's James. James is leading this army isn't he?" Alice cast her eyes down, confirming that James hadn't given up on me.

"Alice, how many of them are there?" Edward asked.

"The numbers are dwindling. Right now the army is roughly around thirty."

"How come you didn't see this before?" Edward screamed at Alice. It was sight I never thought I'd see: Alice cowering away from her brother.

"I don't know it's like there are holes in my head, like he figured out how to get around my visions. On top of that, any decisions he made regarding Bella would have been clouded because of those dumb wolves." Alice looked at me briefly before apologizing. "Opps, sorry Bella." I waved her off because I could understand her frustration.

"How would James be able to manage that?" Edward continued yelling at Alice.

"Edward, shut up. It's not her fault." I screamed and stepped in front of Alice. "It's Laurent's."

"Laurent? What does he have to do with any of this?" Edward asked, stunned.

"A couple months ago, the wolves told me that they had tracked a vampire back over the Canadian border who was dangerously close to Forks, actually he was near the manor when they caught his scent. At first I thought it was James, but the description that Jacob gave me fit Laurent."

"Okay, interesting theory but if it is Laurent, how would he know about Alice's visions? She didn't really use them that day, well at least around the drifters." Emmett offered.

"No, but he did go up to Alaska. I'm sure at some point he mentioned a curiosity to your friends up there and they gave him everything that he wanted to know. At some point James got to him, and he's back with James."

Carlisle walked over to the phone and began dialing some numbers. Of everyone in the room, I was the only one that couldn't hear the conversation. I couldn't even hear Carlisle's end because he was speaking so low. But whatever was being said, wasn't good. The remaining vampires were scowling into his back.

"Well, your theory is correct, Bella. Laurent left the Denali's about eight months ago. They suspected that he was cheating." Edward explained to me before Carlisle returned to the living room.

"Are they going to help us?" Despite the circumstances, I was eager to meet Eleazar and find out what gifts I would possess as a vampire.

"No. Apparently, Laurent partnered up with Irina, one of the sisters. The Denali's refuse to enter into a fight where Irina could wind up hurt if something happened to Laurent."

"Did you explain that I was involved? Eleazar knows how important I am to Aro." I hated the words leaving my mouth.

"Can you blame them? If the roles were reversed, I could never fight on a side that was _against_ Jasper." Alice claimed. I nodded, knowing she was right.

"Can we take them?" Jasper and Emmett asked at the same time.

"We'll be severely outmatched. The numbers are depleting, but I can't see at what rate they'll be here when they arrive." Alice answered them while still in a daze from her vision.

"When will they arrive?" Edward didn't hesitate.

"The day after graduation, sometime at night. Oh, the party is still on, at least that's good news." Alice exclaimed.

"What party?"

"Oh we'll talk about that later Bella, there are other things that are more important." Alice reminded me and I couldn't help but groan. Who could think of partying when something this major was about to go down.

"Can we expect help from the wolves?" Carlisle asked.

"It's an idea. Of course I'll be completely blind if we decide to include them."

"No. The wolves won't be apart of this!" I said.

"We may not have a choice Bella. No matter what, we'll still be outmatched. The wolves will help out tremendously." Alice informed me.

"No you don't understand Alice. Eric and Garick are only protecting me because the rest of their family are being held captive by Aro. If Aro finds out about Jacob and the pack, shifters that can phase at will without needing the moon, he'll do the same thing to them." I was beginning to panic.

"Well, we'll just make sure he doesn't find out." Edward began rubbing my back to soothe me, but they weren't connecting the dots.

"Ughh, listen. Aro wants James to be in the coven. He's been having Demetri watch for his moves. The minute they realize that James is on his way here, he'll send someone to collect him. And on top of that, Felix is already here. And it's been hell keeping him from Jacob. As it is the wolves have made contact with Eric and Garick, so they can never go back to Italy. Do you follow where I'm going with this?" I was yelling really loudly and hadn't noticed until realized that I was standing on my toes trying to convey my point.

"Oh dear, honey we can't let that happen." Esme said in shock as if she knew the pack personally. She was such a mother it was adorable.

"Okay well graduation is a little over three weeks away, we'll have time to plan. Bella would Felix, Eric and Garick fight, for you?" Carlisle asked to diffuse the tension in the room.

"Yeah. As long as the army and James arrive at night, and there is some type of moon Eric and Garick will be in play. If it's a new moon, they won't be of any use, but their full strength is when there is a full moon.

"So it'll be us seven plus three more. Alice, can you see if the Volturi will get here in time to intervene?"

"I can't be completely sure since we've just added the two wolves, but it'll be close. I think they'll get here just after the fight. I can't be sure since they haven't made a decision yet." Alice sounded so defeated that her visions were failing her.

"I guess, I'll let Felix and Eric know when I get home." I whispered.

The weight of all of the information that was just given to me was starting to overload my brain, and I was too tired to stand anymore.

"I gotta get you home." Edward scooped me up in a fluid motion so fast I didn't even know I wasn't on my feet anymore.

"Well my angelic tyrant has spoken. Goodnight everyone." I said as my eyes started to droop closed. I faintly heard Emmett laughing at my nickname for Edward. Esme, Alice, and Rose simply beamed seeing me in Edward's arms again.

I let my eyes stay closed when I felt Edward running back to my house. The entire way, and I'm not sure for how long afterwards, I heard the lullaby that Edward had composed for me so long ago. Drifting off to sleep was heavenly in his arms.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." Edward's voice was soft when I fluttered awake.

"Hi. Is Charlie here?"

"No he left early. He had his fishing gear so he'll be gone for a while. Are you going to speak to Felix today?"

"Yeah. But later. Can we just hang out at your house today though, at least just for the morning?" Edward nodded his head, and I excused myself for a human moment.

"Bella! I didn't think I'd see you so soon. I mean I had hoped, but I wasn't sure if, you know." I smiled at Esme.

"I didn't want to be stuck in the house." I answered but seeing how she sort of cringed at my words, I grasped how she might have taken my meaning.

"Bella, I'm afraid I'll need to hunt. So you'll be here with Emmett, Rose and Carlisle." Edward whispered in my ear. "Esme and Alice will be joining me, as will Jasper."

"Okay." I simply said as I walked further into the house. I grabbed a seat on the couch and saw Alice's sketch pad on the coffee table. There were beautiful sketches of dresses that Alice was probably have designed at some point. I continued flipping the pages until I came to a blank sheet of paper.

"Oh darling, I didn't know you draw." Esme wondered.

"Not really. I just wanted to get a head-start on an art project. Kind of flesh out what I want to do."

Edward and his hunting party left the house soon after that, of course Alice flitted over to me and hugged me tightly. She was probably more excited than any of them that I chose to be there. I didn't see any sign of Emmett or Rose, but I made my way over to Carlisle's office on the second level.

Edward had brought me on a tour of the house once, and I was glad I remembered which door it was.

"Come in Bella." Stupid vampire hearing.

"Hi Carlisle. How are you?" I asked when I opened the door. Carlisle was sitting behind his desk, looking up from a pile of papers. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."

"Nonsense! Bella, you will forever be a daughter to me, I will always make time for you." Carlisle pointed out and I smiled at his sentiment.

"Well there is something I'd like to discuss, about James and his army. Since we're shorthanded, what if I became a vampire? I could help out with the fighting." My humanity wasn't something I wanted to give up just yet, especially since I was forcing myself not to fall in love again.

"That I believe will be counter-productive. You'll be a newborn, with the cravings of a newborn. We'd have to watch and control you." Carlisle reasoned.

"I actually figured you would say that." I took out the sheet of paper that I had scribbled on and handed it to him.

Carlisle took two seconds to look it over before looking at me with revulsion.

"Bella do you know what this is?" He was understandably concerned, he had every right to be. I wouldn't even try to deny him that.

"Yes, Carlisle. It's a grocery list, and I need you procure the items on that list. And this must remain between the two of us. Edward could never know, at least not until the right moment."

"What is it for? Am I allowed to know that?"

I had to take a few moments to breathe because the words were going to be hard to spit out as it were.

"You'll need to give them to Eric and Garick on the night of the fight, afterwards."

We went over my ideas for the night, and we solidified the plans that I could live with for that night. Finally, after and hour of agreeing, and Carlisle preparing to think of other things when around Edward, Carlisle asked me, "What about Alice?"

"What about her? This is concerning the wolves, she won't see anything. And if she should happen to see it, she'll know that this is necessary. For everyone." I said. I recognized that I sounded cold and detached, but I fully believed that Carlisle understood what mindset I was going to be in to pull this off.

"This will hurt her too. And I can't even begin to think how Edward will be." Carlisle spoke low enough for me to hear, but only barely. "But I understand that it'll need to be done."

I smiled appreciatively at the vampire I would have loved to call my father, and fought back the tears. I had three weeks to set everything in motion.

"Edward will be back in a few minutes. I hear them running to the house. What will you do next?" He asked, but I was already pulling my phone out.

"I'm calling Eric. He and his brother will come here." I made my call and Eric said they would be there shortly.

Carlisle nodded and we walked downstairs together. "Rose, Emmett, living room." Carlisle spoke softly as if they were right in front of him. I saw them enter the house from the garage area, Rosalie's overalls were covered in grease. It looked like she was out there working on a car—or two. Except there were a few greasy handprints that Rose couldn't possibly have made herself. I blushed thinking about what they were doing out in the garage. And apparently Emmett was thinking about it too.

"Damn you Emmett!" Edward yelled. Esme smacked him on the arm.

"Edward, language." But Edward continued as if he didn't feel a thing.

"On the hood of the Aston Martin! I will kill you." I felt bad for Emmett and Rose because the look that Edward threw at them was killer in and of itself.

"Hey man, sorry. If you want, I'll buy you a new one. Or Rose can just bang the dents out. No worries." Emmett shrugged but the grin on his face was evident. He enjoyed whatever happened to Edward's favorite car.

"Aggh! Who invited the wolves?" Alice groaned.

I looked at her sheepishly but she didn't seem to notice.

Edward let them in, and the two guys looked on as if they had walked into a trap.

"Eric, Garick, I called you here because there's been a development." I started out. I explained everything to them, at least the parts that Carlisle agreed that everyone should know. Once I was done, Eric and Garick seemed to understand everything.

"Once question, why isn't Felix here? He should be in on this. Correct?" Garick finally asked once I stopped speaking.

"I want to limit the Volturi's role as much as possible. It would be safe for everyone involved."


	22. Chapter 21: Long After I'm Gone

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, it's been a long time coming I know. Chapter 21 is finally here, and hopefully it was worth the wait. It's about 8 and 1/2 pages deep (Microsoft Word). Depending on a few things, there will probably be a few people mad at me, and I'd like to apologize now. I can't please everybody, :( though I like to try sometimes. Enjoy!!**

"Is it safe to assume that since you graduate today, that you've decided to head on back over to Italy?" Charlie asked me as he helped me into his cruiser. I was clutching the yellow cap and gown in my hand and wearing a three inch heel that Heidi sent over from a little shop in Venice.

I nodded my head, confirming the pain in Charlie's eyes. There was so much I wanted to tell him about how I wanted my life to be after Forks, but I couldn't. He was still in the dark, along with Felix.

It was my decision to keep Felix from knowing about James and his little army, despite his attempts of making friends with the Cullen's. They treated each other civilly, mainly because they knew how I would feel about the tension between them. But above all else, Felix was a Volturi, and no matter what his feelings for me were, he'd always be a company man. I was hoping that Demetri would call sometime soon so that I wouldn't have to mention anything to him. But I knew that even if that were to happen, there would still be some explaining that I'd need to do.

Charlie and I rode to the school in silence, he was probably contemplating how he could persuade me to stay in Forks, or at least the country. I was simply worried about the fight that I knew was coming.

"Are you leaving because of Felix? I see the way he looks at you, you know." This surprised me. Charlie liked Felix, maybe even as much as he liked Jacob, but he had never said anything to allude to that. Edward on the other hand, Charlie hated, or at least had a strong dislike.

"He's part of the reason." I answered truthfully, well at least part truthfully.

"Do you love him?"

My mouth opened to answer but I wasn't sure how to answer it. I loved him, but my feelings for him often felt that they transcended love. Felix was by far a better choice than any of my options, for one thing, he was completely devoted to me. He was protective of me, without being stupidly over-protective. And most importantly, he's never lied to me, at least from what I could tell.

"I do." Charlie nodded his head and I caught his frown righting itself into a small smile. "He asked me to marry him." The words came out without me realizing until it was too late.

Charlie's grip on the steering wheel became deathly tight, and I was afraid that it was going to snap away. "And what did you tell him?" He looked at me from the corner of his eyes, trying to judge my reaction. His voice was a bit stern from clenching his teeth.

"That I needed to finish school, and I wasn't ready for a relationship just yet anyways." Charlie's white knuckle grip loosened, and it seemed as if he started breathing again.

"Well those people you lived with raised you right I guess." He smiled at me briefly, but I could tell that he was upset that he couldn't say that he raised me.

We got out of the car when we arrived at the school, but I just kind of stood by the car. Charlie walked around the front and leaned against the car beside me. "You'll give me a heads up though if any major changes happen in your life? This ceremony seems more ominous to me than any other parent could ever imagine." I looked into Charlie's eyes, and saw a few tears building up. Emotions were hard for him to express, and he was letting them out to his regret.

"Dad, I may be leaving for Italy, but I would never forget about you. You will forever be my father. And I promise old man, if any huge life changing event happens, you'll be there. I promise." I comforted him with a hug and felt him swipe a few tears away. I truly intended on keeping this promise as much as possible.

"Alright, I gotta do some crowd control. Hurry on up." Charlie wasn't looking at me, but I followed where his eyes were anyway. Felix was walking through the crowd, though nobody really touched him. He raised his hand to wave at us, but continued to walk quickly to where we were standing.

When he reached me he held his hand for Charlie to shake, and even though I wasn't sure how Charlie felt about Felix after the revelation that he proposed, but Charlie was calm when he took Felix's hand.

"I'll leave you two." Charlie kissed me on my cheek before turning back to Felix. With his hand on Felix's shoulder, he said, "Take care of my daughter when you two go back to Italy."

"I will sir." Felix solemnly nodded to my father, who abruptly turned and faded into the throng of people that were standing around waiting for the ceremony to start. Many people were holding bouquets of flowers to hand to the graduates after it was over.

"Yellow is definitely not your color." Felix said, and I couldn't agree more. It was a hideous shade that clashed disgustingly with my complexion. "But you still look beautiful." There was no denying that his smile was delicious. He kissed me, winding his fingers through my hair. "I got something for you."

"Felix, you of all people should know I hate presents." I started to argue but Felix held up his hand lightly to my lips, and walked behind me. He brushed some of my hair back and began whispering in my ear.

"Relax. Relax Bella. This used to be my sister's. My biological sister, Daniela. There is very little that I have that has survived since my former life. And I'm hopeful to say that what I do have will someday remain in the family. Isabella DiMarco Swan, I will never give up on you. I love you."

I closed my eyes as his breath covered my face, and I felt a small touch around my neck. Felix smoothed out the chain that he clasped around my neck, and kissed my nape. I looked down to see a beautiful diamond and sapphire butterfly.

"It's beautiful Felix. Thank you." I said, almost breathless.

"The plane will be here on Saturday to take us home, so make sure you have everything wrapped up before then."

"Okay. I need to go find my seat. I'll look for you when I'm on the stage." Felix bent over and planted a tender kiss on my lips.

"I'll see you later." I watched Felix walk away from me, melting into the crowd. Felix had opted not to return to Forks High, so he offered to watch Charlie while I was at school to make sure that he wasn't being stalked by James or some other vampire. That also awarded a crucial benefit for me, my days were spent with Edward as much as possible, while at school. At night I was always on Felix duty to make sure that he never drifted to the manor. Edward was always upset about that.

Which was why I avoided his stare once Felix left.

I found the chair that was assigned to me for graduation. Jessica couldn't but run up to me and congratulate me on graduating.

"Can you believe it? We're finally done with Forks. You know I should come visit you in Italy during my winter break." Jessica bumbled on, and I told her that it would be okay when she started crying. She hurried back to her seat as the nostalgia continued to take over once the ceremony started.

One by one, Principal Greene called the names of my fellow students. Alice of course danced across the stage to receive her diploma. I looked on at the two angels that were on the stage and wondered how no one noticed that they were supernatural. They were too perfect and the only two people that pulled off the horrendous yellow cap and gowns.

My name was finally called and I heard a thunderous roar as I took to the stage, and saw my father alongside Felix, Jacob, and Billy. All four were clapping and yelling for me, so I threw them a slight wave as I prayed that I didn't trip in front of everyone.

The screams of the students bellowed in my ears as I realized that I had zoned out and missed the part where we were supposed to throw our caps in the air. I just took mine off and let it drop to the ground.

I fought my way through the crowd, but Edward got to me and gave me a kiss. "Congratulations," he said, giving me that lovely smile of his. He leaned in for another kiss but only let his lips linger, barely touching mine. I stared at him impatiently, when I saw that he was reaching into his pocket for his phone. He backed away slightly and answered the phone, but without saying a word, he hung it up.

"Bella, Alice had a vision about James." The phone call was staged for Felix's benefit.

"And here I was thinking I had some information. I just received a call from Demetri, it appears James is on the way to Forks." Felix said suddenly from behind, startling me.

"And will the Volturi be making an appearance?" Edward asked.

"They're in no rush but they'll arrive shortly before dawn on Friday." Felix informed us. That of course meant they would be arriving shortly after the battle was over.

"Well I'm sure that's only because they don't have a piece of information that would be vital. James will not be coming alone. According to Alice's vision, he's bringing some newly acquainted friends." Edward stated.

Felix looked around the crowd and said, "We'll talk at the manor later. But first, Charlie invited me out to dinner with him and Bella." Edward looked at me longingly. He felt like I was cutting him out of my life when I choose Felix over him. If he only knew half of my decision.

I rolled my eyes as Felix put his arms around me and began to lead me through the crowd. I tried looking back for Edward, but he was gone.

"Why do you act so possessive over me when it comes to him?"

"I'm sorry if you it comes off as being possessive, but it's more protective. I don't want to see you hurt by him again." I nodded my head in understanding. We found Charlie and headed to dinner.

"Do I have to go to the party?" I begged as Felix dragged me to his car after dinner. Felix offered to drive me to the Cullen's so that Charlie could spend some more time down at the reservation. Apparently he and Sue Clearwater have been spending some time together since Harry's death.

"Yes you do. And as much as I can't stand Cullen, you do need to keep up appearances until we leave." Felix said as he raced down the highway towards the manor. He found the turnoff with ease and we were now driving in the woods.

"Hey speaking of Cullen, where's their driveway?"

"I hate it when you call him Cullen, you know. You kind of sneer his name and I think it's dreadful. It should be coming up soon, so slow down."

"There's no need, someone strung some lights up ahead." I peered up and I saw a little bit of twinkling between the trees. Great, that meant there wasn't a chance that everyone was going to get lost.

Before we even had a chance to get out of the car, Alice and Emmett were outside waiting for us to come in. "Good you're early, we can talk about James." Alice looked annoyed which I attributed to Eric and Garick who were already in the house.

I was amazed when I walked in and all of the furniture was gone. All of the lights were changed from regular blubs to colored ones, giving the entire first level the atmosphere of a night club. There were even a couple of platform stages placed throughout so that people can dance on them.

"Bella, are you going to just stand there and gawk, or are you coming?" Alice stood there impatiently, and I snapped out of my awe and followed them into the kitchen.

I waved at everyone that stood around the island that stood in the middle of the room. There were all types of food and appetizers on serving plates for the party. Esme gave me a warm smile in return and I wanted to run into her arms. Carlisle stood and offered a smile as well, but his was more of regret. He knew where this was going to go, as I did.

"Well I guess I'll begin since it was my vision." Alice started. "Earlier I saw James leading about twenty newborn vampires to the clearing. For Bella." I knew that clearing all too well. It was good to know that the number had come down significantly.

"An army? Well this changes things. Demetri and some members of the guard are arriving Friday morning, shortly before sunrise. When does this army arrive?"

"It looks like tomorrow evening. Your Volturi will arrive too late." Alice said accusingly.

"So what's the plan? If all of you fight, you'll be able to take them right? Eight vampires and two wolves, twenty vampires should be easy." I asked a bit bewildered.

"Yes Bella, I'm sure that we'll be able to take them. That is if everyone here will fight." Carlisle chipped in.

Felix nodded, and Eric and Garick both said, "Of course."

"Okay, do you want me to stand in the clearing, kind of lure them in quicker?" I asked.

"You're being absurd Bella. You're not going anywhere near that clearing tomorrow." Edward yelled even though we were in arm's reach of each other.

"I want to help. I need to help! Everyone that I love is putting themselves at risk for me. And you want me to hide?"

"Precisely. You will not be in that clearing." Edward was still screaming even though I was relatively calm in my response.

"Calm down. Both of you." Carlisle held up both hands to diffuse the situation.

"Carlisle you can't honestly think that with her in the clearing is a good thing." Edward protested.

"No it isn't a good idea. Bella, I don't see how being there will be good. As your scar will tell you, newborn vampires are extremely volatile. If you're there, someone would likely get hurt protecting you."

"Uggh. Then if I have to hide, then I can't be alone." I glared at Edward.

"I'll stay with you. I couldn't bear to be without you." Edward offered. His voice softened up his tone when he realized that I had conceded to hiding out.

"The mountains will be a good place to hide. But there will be snow."

"So it's settled, I guess? I'll be fighting with the Cullen's to protect the girl that we all love." Felix mused in a tone that was rather amused.

"Actually Edward, I think I want Felix with me. You should stay with your family." The look of hurt on his face just about nearly split me in half. How could I feel something for both Felix and Edward at the same time?

Instead of saying anything to object, Edward just turned around and walked out of the room. I was appalled at how I could feel Felix's air of victory and looked to Carlisle for reassurance. His smile returned, we talked prior to this. His job was to let Edward know that it was imperative for Felix to be with me so that the Quileute tribe would be able to fight as well. The Quileute's participation was crucial and needed to remain a secret.

"Why are you such a bitch?" Rosalie piped in. "My brother would do anything for you, and you continually put Felix above him."

"Rose, baby." Emmett started rubbing her back to calm her down.

"Don't Emmett. Everybody here has been on her side, but me. And now look. Edward is miserable and it's her fault."

I kneeled over with the pain that I had caused. "And whose fault is that? He choose to leave, and you all followed. You can't cause that amount of pain to a human and expect the consequences to be minimal. And I am that consequence."

I hid my face in Felix's back as he defended me. The silence was deafening but I couldn't be sure if the vampires in the room were just speaking too fast and low for me.

The doorbell rang and the party was about to begin. Alice went to get the door while Emmett started the music. Felix steered me into where the living room used to be and whispered in my ear, "This is my cue to leave. I need to go hunt." I looked into his eyes and saw that they were black as coal, even in this lighting. "I'm in the mood for some, hmmm Canadian Bacon, so I'll be back tomorrow morning, after your sleepover." Felix was instantly gone through the door.

Alice had wanted me to spend the night at the manor for some girl time. I nodded my head, and Edward was immediately by my side. I started to speak, but Edward covered my mouth. I pressed my lips to his cool hands and he smiled back at me. He removed his hand, and I took it as a sign that Felix was out of range.

"Are you okay? Did you speak with Carlisle?"

"I'm fine, Carlisle let me see his mind when you two were discussing Jacob's pack fighting tomorrow. Though, I wish there was another way for me to find out about this than going through what I just went through."

"I know, but I needed Felix to see your hurt." I began looking around as people started walking through the door by now. They were all amazed with the elusive Cullen house, as they stared in the same manner I had when I first arrived tonight.

"And of Felix, did he buy it? Does he believe our version of events?" I asked almost frantically. Edward nodded.

"And do I get to know the rest of your plan? Or am I to be kept in the dark?" Edward asked sullenly.

"But what plan are you talking about?" I said on the sly before turning my attention to the guests that were walking through the door. Jessica and Angela spotted me and charged at me with their congratulations and hugs. Mike, Eric, and Tyler, all seemed to cut their feelings for me aside and barely said anything more than 'hi.' At the very least, they'd enjoy the evening.

Alice kept forcing me to stay on the dance floor and be the center of attention.

"You know none of this makes sense." Alice whispered to me. I looked around to see if anyone could hear her strange conversation starter. None of the humans gave her a second thought, they were completely immersed in the music and with each other. I couldn't be completely sure if the vampires in the room, because they were playing the role of the perfect hosts.

"What's that? I was immediately confused.

"Your sudden secrecy is all daunting. Whatever you're planning, I can't tell if it's going to work." I was glad that even though I wasn't actively planning around the wolves, my plans were still concealed from Alice. It was a relief to know actually that because they would be the ultimate benefactors , my idea was still well hidden.

"What makes you think I'm planning anything?"

"Bella. Don't make me out to be an idiot. I know you by now, the only time you don't seem to stumble over yourself is when you're determined on something else other than yourself."

I cupped her ice cold face in my hand, "Alice, trust me. If you don't know about it, just this one time, then just trust me. It'll be a good thing, I promise." I removed my hand but Alice's face only turned into worry.

"You can't just ask me to do that, Bella." Alice was protesting, and something about it just irritated me.

"Alice," I started in a hushed voice. "How many times did you and Edward tell me to trust you, before you left? And yet, even after you returned, I'm still here. And I need for you to trust me now. It's not just your life that I'm afraid for. And the secrecy is needed. It's the only way."

There was a look of hesitation on her face but she let me walk away. I took the moment to escape to the back patio for some air. There was a full moon outside and it look like I could touch it. Eric and his brother were out running tonight with Jacob's pack. There was no breeze in the air, and the night was cool, and after a few minutes of standing outside, I made the decision to turn back in.

"You know you should at least let someone know that you were leaving." Edward's silky voice called out to me.

"Well, I was just about to turn back in. So, no worries."

"Can I speak with you first?" He offered me a jacket and when I put it on, I was overwhelmed with his smell. The proximity of him, combined with his scent was making me weak kneed. I saw Edward's eyes staring at my neckline and I immediately became self conscious of the necklace that Felix had given me.

"Bella, I realize that things have been, strained between us. And I know that that is my fault completely. And there are a number of items that I'll need to fix. But believe me when I say Bella. I know with all that I am, that you belong with me. I can't exist without you." I looked up into Edward's eyes and all I wanted to do was leap into his arms and kiss him. But he suddenly disappeared from my sight. It wasn't until I felt a pull on my hand that I saw that Edward was on one knee.

"Bella, it would be a great honor if you would be my wife." I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts. Two proposals, two guys, all in one day.

" Felix. Umm, Felix is escorting me back to Italy once all of this is done. I'm continuing my education there. I can't be with you anymore." I saw the disappointment on his face. Like a dark grey cloud, it settled on his face.

"I'll move to Italy. In fact I'm sure that Alice would want to come too for the fashion, and for you." Edward was clamoring, and I felt evil for allowing this to continue.

"You know I can't allow that! Aro would be remiss if you were so close and not in the guard. The moment you step anywhere near Volterra, Aro will force you in the guard." I began to walk back towards the house.

"Bella, there is no way I can let you go. I don't know how many times I have to tell you. I will willingly join the guard, if it meant I was with you." Edward rose from his knees and was now peering into my eyes.

"You would do that for me?" I said halting in my tracks.

"Anything Bella."

I shook my head as if the motion was shaking fog from my head. "No bad idea. Edward. I won't allow you to break up your family for me."

"There's absolutely nothing that can keep us apart."

"Edward, I have to be honest with you. Felix asked me to marry him today, and I'm going back to Italy."

I barely had a chance to start biting the bottom of my lip before Edward ran off. My tears fell instantly. It wasn't just Edward that I was hurting. I was killing myself. There was nothing more to want than to be with Edward, but at the same time, I knew there was no way that was possible.

"Alice?" I whispered, and she was instantly there.

"Is Carlisle here still?" She shook her head no, and my heart fell.

"He had an emergency at the hospital."

"I can't finish the party, I need to tell you everything. And you need to keep it from Edward. I need to talk to someone and Alice, I'm about to lose my mind. Please?" It was like the weight of the world was finally crushing in on me and I couldn't move. Alice helped me inside, none of my former classmates even noticed that I was gone to begin with and continued dancing.

"Bella! I'm hurt that you didn't come to me in the first place, but I know you had a good reason." Alice said as we made our way to the top of the steps.

"Where's Rose? I want to explain this to her as well." I asked Alice, but I saw the blonde goddess standing in front of Alice's bedroom.

"Is she alright?" There was a hint of concern in Rosalie's voice, and it warmed me.

"Rose, Alice. I'll need you from now until long after I leave."

**A/N (part deux): Okay how many of you are mad at me? *cringes and peeks one eye at the screen*. I hope to have the next chapter up by Wednesday, and you know what that means?.... we get to find out about that crazy shopping list that Bella handed Carlisle!!!! Though I am curious what you think is on the list, so let me know, I may even add a few things to my orignal list and use some of your ideas!!!!! **

**Jshai**


	23. Chapter 22: For The Best

It was a relief to finally tell someone other than Carlisle what my plans were, and Rose seemed especially touched that I was going through so many obstacles to make sure that everyone was safe from the Volturi. Alice tried reassuring me that even if one thing was to fail, no one would blame any of this on me. Of course that only sent me in a fit of hysteria because failure at one thing may mean death for some one. I also managed to keep a part of my plan a secret from everyone, something that Carlisle only knew.

I had a long time to sleep since I was exhausted with graduation, the party, and Edward's proposal. I was hardly effected by Felix's proposal, but Edward's seemed to take a lot out of me. And I knew it was because deep down, I loved him with all my heart and telling him I was going home to Italy regardless of that love, hurt me just as much as he was hurt.

By the time I woke up in the afternoon, I was mad at myself for wasting valuable preparation time by sleeping half the day away. But I was surprised to see that Alice had already dressed me in some warm clothes to save some time.

"See, I told you that she'd be waking up soon. God, you're so impatient when it comes to her." I heard Alice complaining to someone outside of the door. It wasn't until, Felix was sitting on the edge of my bed that I knew who she was yelling at.

"Well good afternoon, sleepyhead." Felix's smooth voice cooed in my ear, and I smiled as he kissed my forehead. There was a startling crash that came from somewhere downstairs and I was worried that someone dropped something big. Felix chuckled softly, and that caused me to narrow my eyes with suspicion.

I jumped out of the bed and walked down the hallway. More like waddled, Alice but several layers of pants on me and it was making it kind of hard to walk. "Is everything okay?" I asked as I thumped down the steps. I was only vaguely aware of Felix following slowly behind me.

At first glance of the scene downstairs, it appeared that Jasper and Emmett were having a seizure, but I realized that they were laughing too hard to do anything other than collapse to the floor. If it was possible for them to die again, it would have been that moment from laughter.

"What's wrong?" I asked again when no one answered me the first time. Jasper and Emmett continued laughing, actually they laughed even harder.

"Nothing, Edward had a little mishap with the television. And they're just stupid." Rosalie rolled her eyes while looking at her husband. She gave me a reassuring look and rubbed my arm and I knew the "mishap" was due to Edward's resentment towards me and Felix.

"Come on, we need to get you bundled up. You'll be in the mountains and it'll be snowing later, so you'll need more layers."

"Why is it snowing? It's June." I mumbled and it sounded like Emmett said "Welcome to Forks."

Alice led me back upstairs to finish dressing the top half of me.

"I want you to be careful up there. At least with it just being you and Felix, we have to make sure you come back with all toes and fingers." Alice fussed with a few different shirts before leading me back downstairs to the garage.

Edward was in the corner sulking and I felt a bit disappointed with the way he was acting; childish. Carlisle was going over the route he felt Felix should take and where in the mountains he should hide me. Alice and Esme were packing some additional items to keep me warm.

"What is all this stuff?" Felix asked when he saw the huge backpack that we'd be taking with us.

"The Cullen's go camping a lot when it's sunny out. At least that's their cover. And to help the town buy into the story, they buy a lot of gear every season to keep up appearances." I explained and Felix looked on at Carlisle with a bit of admiration for the storyline that he came up with.

"I packed a tent, even though Carlisle says there's a shallow cave in the mountain. But you never know about the wind that you may occur. Also, here's a portable space heater. It runs on batteries and I just put fresh ones in. Here's an extra pack of batteries too. I don't need to remind you Felix that as she does heat up, so will her scent and we don't want to alert the newborns that she's not in the clearing." Alice warned Felix, but I was just grateful that I'd be somewhat warm. Esme also threw a few blankets and a sleeping bag and slung it over to Felix who put it on his back.

"Will they fall for it?" I asked, eyeing Alice nervously.

"I think so. While you were sleeping, Edward carried you all throughout the forest leading a false trail. He even pulled a few strands of your hair and left them strewn about." Alice answered me, but she was a little worried.

"Yeah but wouldn't my trail just lead back to the house?"

"Yes and no. Garick met me in the middle of the clearing, and brought you the rest of the way. His scent isn't as bad as some people we've met but it hides yours well enough. James will undoubtedly have told his minions that your scent would be mixed with mine since I protected you. While they won't know mine, just knowing your half of our combined scent might still be enough to send them in frenzy." Edward spoke up out of his dirge.

"And you think they know my scent?"

"Possibly. We're on the assumption as such. However, with James and Laurent leading them, they definitely know it." Jasper walked over to his wife and wrapped his arms around Alice and she seemed visibly reassured.

"And you know the Volturi will want James alive?" Felix asked.

Carlisle nodded his head and then asked, "And what of Laurent?"

"Hold him just in case. Aro may want to judge him." Felix said. Felix looked at me signaling he was ready.

"It's that time already?" I was nervous about being in the mountains for an entire night.

"Yeah, we're hoping I can lead you away from the area with plenty of time to set up in the mountains."

"Right," I said. "Can I have a moment with Edward first?" Felix reluctantly nodded, and everyone cleared the room. "Edward, you'll let me know when we have privacy?" Edward's tortured face twisted up and nodded towards me. I waited a little bit longer before he said it was ok.

"Edward, you have a tendency to overreact, so what I'm about to say to you, I need you to really listen." I took a couple of deep breaths before continuing. "I love you, with all my heart. And I know now, that you went to Italy to die because you thought I was gone, but I'm telling you now, if anything was to happen to you tonight, I will not live either. You have to promise me that you will do everything you can to survive this."

"Isn't this the talk that one of us should be giving you? How can you say you love me when you're planning on leaving me? And you're not just leaving, you're going to marry Felix." Edward hissed his name with such discontent, but there was no way I could take that from him.

Tears started rolling down my face steadily. "Edward, there are a lot of things that are in play right now, and being with you once this is over won't work. Please just know that I'm doing what I need to in order to make sure that the ones I love are safe."

"Does this have anything to do with why Rose, Alice and Carlisle are blocking me?" Edward's jaws were clenched tight and I was temporarily amazed that he was able to speak at all.

"I'm sorry. I hope once all of this is done, you'll understand." I stood on my toes and planted a kiss at the corner of his mouth. My lips lingered after the kiss a little bit longer than I had planned, and Edward turned his head slightly and started kissing me back with urgency that I didn't have anything to parallel it against. My body was smashed delicately between Edward and Emmett's jeep. Edward's hands pawed at the layers of clothes that Alice dressed me in, trying to find an opening to my skin, all the while I cursed Alice for dressing me so snuggly. She meant well, but she should have known that this was going to happen.

Of course in true fashion, Edward stopped himself by reeling backwards away from me. I couldn't say I was disappointed about the kiss, but I definitely was sad that it had to end. I walked out of the garage, my head down. I heard Edward's phone shut behind me, and I turned to look at him.

"Felix is on his way back, he's already dropped off the stuff and set camp up. You'll be taking a different route back so don't worry about that. Okay?" I nodded and he gave me a slight smile, a little stiff, but it was better than the cold shoulder that I expected.

I turned back and realized everyone was completely gone.

"Edward? Can you tell everyone that I love them, and thank you. For everything that they've done and are doing." Edward's nose started pinching and it was still one of the cutest sights I'd ever seen. By the time he said yes, Felix was in front of me.

"Ready?" He held out his arms and scooped me up. I held onto his neck and gave Edward one last look. I buried my head into Felix's cold chest away from the waning sun that seemed to threaten my very existence.

* * *

Felix ran in silence, and I apparently dozed off in the three minutes or so it took us to reach the cave. I had no idea how I could have been so sleepy after sleeping half the day as it was. Felix placed me inside of the sleeping bag that Esme packed for me. I was happy the Felix had turned on the heater because it made the tent nice and toasty once I was inside.

I was asleep and still in no time, but something startled me awake. It took me a moment to realize where I was.

"Felix? What time is it?" I looked around and from the looks of things I was alone in the tent, but Felix promptly poked his head through the opening of the tent.

"It's a little after one in the morning. The newborns should be entering the clearing in a few minutes."

"That's a bit more specific than I asked for. How do you know this?" I was sweating from the heat that the little heater had generated, so I took off my top shirt and joined Felix outside.

"Edward sent me a text message about a minute ago. There's really nothing to do but wait it out."

Great. I played a few games on my phone, but that quickly grew tiring and boring. I quickly glanced at the clock and it was only three oh nine. It's only been two hours since this started and I was beginning to get really worried. There were seven vampires plus Eric and Garick and whoever Jacob brought to the clearing. In my head that seemed to be enough to take care of twenty newborns. Something had to have gone terribly wrong.

The more time that passed by I began to get more and more fidgety. I started pacing in the cave to keep warm and I was aggravated at the stillness of Felix. In times like this it would have come in handy to be a vampire. There was no need to be anxious. But I'm nothing more than a human, and though my nerves were going all over the place, it was hard to concentrate when everyone that I loved was in a clearing, fighting for me.

I wandered into the tent and tried laying down, but I refused to sleep. My phone was about to die, so I didn't want to start the iPod app on my phone, and be left with absolutely nothing. So I just laid there, counting the seconds that were going by fast in my head, but seemed to slow down everywhere else.

"Have you heard anything yet?" I asked poking my head through the flaps of the tent. Felix was in the same spot he was in before, and I realized I was jealous of that ability.

"No, but I am expecting a call from Aro soon." I looked at my phone and saw that it was four fifteen. Time was moving a little faster I guess. I was now panicking for another reason, what if the guard got here before Carlisle was able to put our plan in motion?

Just at that moment I heard Felix's phone buzz, Felix took one look at it and said it was time to go. He forced me to watch as he packed up the camp site and slung the bag over his shoulders. Quite forcibly, he picked me up and we ran down the blistery mountain. I knew we were in the clearing when my hair wasn't whipping in the wind as much.

There was a thick blooming sweet smell that invaded my nose the closer we got to the Cullens, and one look told me that the smell was coming from the smoke plumes that trailed into the lightening sky. In various positions, the Cullens stood in a loose circle in the middle of the field.

"Everything is taken care of?" Felix spoke first. I followed the direction of his eyes and he was looking between Carlisle and Edward at something on the ground. I looked closer and saw Eric and Garick on the ground. Without waiting for Felix to stop running, I hopped out of his arms and started running towards my friends.

"What happened?" I screamed before I could reach them I tripped on the ground and crawled the rest of the way to where my fallen friends were. "Carlisle do something. Please?" I buried my head into Eric's still warm body, willing him and his brother to get up.

"I'm sorry Bella, it's too late." Carlisle said in a grim voice that seemed totally uncharacteristic of him. I turned my head and looked at him and he nodded slightly so that no one would have noticed unless he was paying attention.

"Bella I'm sorry, but you cannot take the time to cry for them now. Aro is arriving." Felix whispered in my ear and pulled me away from Eric's body. I gave one last look at Eric and Garick, but allowed Felix to hold me. I was exhausted again, but not from sleep deprivation.

I squinted to see into the horizon, but I could barely make out the ten figures that moved towards us. I closed my eyes for a few moments and when I opened them, I could see Aro and some of the guard take their final steps towards us. Caius joined Aro, Renata, Jane, Alec and Demetri on the visit, but I failed to see Marcus. The other four figures I could see were Eric's other brothers. I made sure to avoid looking at them.

"Ahhh, Carlisle, my friend. However good it is to see you, I'm afraid this trip will have to be business." Aro started, but didn't even wait for a response from Carlisle.

"James, it appears we have the pleasure of meeting again. But I see, dear Carlisle, two prisoners?" Aro glided over to where Emmett and Jasper were holding James in place, but he was looking at Laurent who Carlisle and Edward were holding.

"Yes, we found he was helping James with the newborn army that was sent to destroy Bella." Carlisle answered. Aro reeled at the news and looked at Jane. "I suggest you and your sons should move away. Now." Aro said as he turned his back on James and Laurent and stepped behind Jane. It was a moment that Jane loved to look forward to, a chance to torture someone with her gift. I turned away because I always hated seeing her sweet face twisted into the maniacal vampire that she was.

Shrieks of pain and fury leaped out of the mouths of the defeated vampires. I struggled to keep my ears covered, and Felix helped some also. I knew when Jane had stopped, because they had stopped screaming.

James and Laurent were writhing in pain, much like how Edward was when he ventured into the castle; only this time I had no reason to save these two monsters.

"I guess I'll start with you James. Stand up!" Aro commanded, his voice no longer held the air of politeness.

James struggled to return to his feet in spite of the pain. "In Italy, did you not petition to me and my brothers to deal with the Cullen's and their pet human?" James nodded his head as Aro continued to circle around him. "And what did I tell you? I thought I said, to let it go because we would handle it. Correct me if I'm wrong." Aro paused and waited for James to speak up.

"But then I saw that bitch--." James pointed me out but Jane shot him with a quick jolt of pain before he could continue. She gave me a quick smile.

"That bitch what? You figured we weren't going to do anything? No I guess you figured right, but Bella is like a daughter and the Cullen's were merely protecting what they felt needed protection. I saw no laws that were broken. However, you on the other hand, proceeded to create an army of vampires with no teachings and let them loose on Seattle with disregard to the rules."

"I'm sorry. But can I say that I'd be willing to join your guard." I raised my eyebrows at the sudden display of humility from James. He literally fell to his knees and began bowing down at Aro's feet.

"Ahhh, Caius, it seems that James has finally seen the benefits of joining the guard are. Isn't that wonderful?!" Aro briefly looked at his brother before another word came out of his mouth. "Unfortunately, you saw the light too late. You disobeyed a direct order to stay away from Bella. Pity, really. Your gift would have been astounding. Alec?"

Jane's equally deadly twin brother started using his gift which starts out slow, but it manages to creep up on you at the same time. A thick mist crept along the contour of the ground until it found its way to James. While Jane's gift allowed her victims to feel pain, Alec's gift left them feeling nothing.

"Now you. You helped James pull off this ill-gotten battle. What is your say in the matter?" Aro had turned his attention to Laurent.

"Mister, look. I was not informed that James had previously consulted you in this matter. I was only doing him a favor." Laurent began begging incoherently and too fast for me to keep up.

"Ignorance, I'm afraid is not bliss in this instance. Demetri, Jane, you know what to do." Aro commanded, and I saw the mist move away from James, allowing Laurent and now James to feel the last thing they would ever know, the pain of being ripped apart and burned.

"Isabella. How terribly sorry I am that you had to witness that. Please come here." I ran into Aro's arms and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I am okay uncle. I have missed you." I said allowing myself to fold back into his embrace.

"And I you. Now, that the business of James has been taken care of, I see your protectors have been gravely wounded." Aro's words bought my attention back to Eric and Garick's bodies laying on the ground. I looked at Carlisle nervously and he shook his head ever so slightly. Was it too late.

"Uncle, seeing as their brothers are here now, might there be a memorial service for them?" I asked.

"A funeral for the dogs? Bella, that is not wise. There is other business that Caius and I must attend to back home. We will need our full strength in numbers. And there is a matter of your transformation that needs to be attended to as well."

"Uncles, please. They died fighting for me. It's the least I can do." I buried my head into his chest.

"Very well. Their brothers can grab the bodies and bring them back." Aro said dismissively, but the Nordic men, started taking their steps towards the bodies anyway.

"Aro, if I may? These two men fought well alongside us this morning, and I was there when they died. And before he died, the leader of the two asked not to be buried in Italy. It would be my honor to have the funeral here. That way my family could be in attendance as well." Carlisle spoke up. Edward looked at Carlisle questionably, but didn't make a sound.

Aro looked behind him to Caius who shrugged with indifference. "Very well, you four may remain behind with Bella. Felix, I will however, need you to return back with us. We have received word that the Romanians may be making a move in the near future." Felix nodded and stepped up to me and Aro.

"Bella, I will see you in Volterra?" The tone in his voice sounded as if he was unsure that I would be returning. I tried offering him a reassuring smile but it felt wrong. I nodded my head, and instead I closed my eyes and gave him a kiss on his lips.

"My flight leaves Seattle on Tuesday. I have to do the necessary precautions with Charlie before my return."

"Okay. I love you." Felix left a gentle kiss at the corner of my eyes and found his place behind Demetri.

"Isabella, we will await for your return in a few days. Carlisle, take care of her while she is here. I was not lying when I said she is like my daughter." Aro waved his hands to his entourage and they began running back the way they came. I admired Aro's gracefulness as he ran before turning back to the situation at hand.

"You let our brothers die, and you want to bury him? Your kind is very strange." The one that I only barely recognized as Josef spoke up. I was assuming that since Eric and Garick were out of commission, he was the next in command.

Without acknowledging him, I continued to make my way over to where Carlisle was kneeling over their bodies. He was listening for something that I couldn't hear.

"They're okay, they were about to come out of it, at least consciously. The hearts are already starting to beat stronger." Carlisle whipped out two syringes from his pocket and handed one to Edward.

"What are you doing Carlisle?" Edward asked, staring at the syringe that was in his hand.

"It's Epinephrine, stab the syringe in Eric's heart. We need to get their metabolism restarted quick. They've been down far longer than me and Bella anticipated." Carlisle explained as I began to bite my bottom lip. Edward looked back at me in surprise before his forehead crinkled up in what seemed like thought. He then looked at Carlisle again and raised the syringe high in the air in the same manner as Carlisle.

"What are they doing?" I heard Josef ask behind me, and I still continued to ignore his questions. But Josef was much more impatient and spun me around so that I fell on my butt to face him. "What are they doing to my brothers' bodies?"

"Shut up! She's giving your lives back dog, so just wait." Rosalie said in my defense. I turned my attention back to Carlisle and Edward.

Edward gave one more glance to Carlisle before the both of them plunged the syringes in Eric and Garick's hearts. I sent up a silent prayer and closed my eyes.

Two sudden gasps brought me back to reality, and I tried clamoring my way to them, but Alice held me back.

"Easy, easy. Let them breathe." Carlisle's voice coaxed me to calm down, and it seemed to have the same effect on Eric and Garick.

"They're alive?" I looked up and Josef's bewildered eyes raced from everyone before lingering on his brothers.

After a few minutes of silence, and listening to their ragged breaths, Eric finally sat up from the ground and spoke. "Bella, while I don't ever want to go through that again, I thank you for everything that you have done for me and my family."

"That was your idea?" Josef looked at me with the same bewildered eyes.

"I did. It was the only way I could think of to keep them from having to return to Italy." I answered, without taking my eyes off of Eric.

"You would have them to leave us in Italy? What if your Aro did not bring us with him today? What then?" Josef continued to badger me.

"How about you stop being ungrateful, Josef. I would have figured something out. Trust me, it's for the best." I said curtly.

**And there you have it!!! Ahhhhh I put a lot of work into this chapter and, well something else as well. Sorry it took so long for me to get out this chapter, but I promise it was worth the wait. Well only if you review, would the wait be actually worth it. SO yeah, there was a method to my madness and if you review you'll know exactly what it is. OMG I hope you liked it!!!**

**Jshai**


	24. Chapter 23: Author's Note

**A/N: I don't normally interrupt the story for only an author's note so I'm sorry for everyone who thought that this was going to be a new chapter. As I stated in my previous a/n, I have something special for anyone who reviews the previous chapter. But unfortunately, fanfiction won't allow me to send it in your private message boxes. The only solution that I have is to send it to your DocX inboxes, which I don't have a problem doing. However in order for me to send it to you we have to set up a connection. What you would do is go to DocX (in between the community and favorites tabs) and click on connections. I'll be setting up the connections with each of you so all you have to do is accept them. Thanks!!**

**Jshai**


	25. Chapter 23: With So Much Love Goodbye

**A/N: Okay everyone!! There are still quite a few of you who reviewed the last chapter who haven't completed the connection under the docx tab on top. It was the only way that ff would let me send you the bonus chapter that I wrote (In Carlisle's POV). So hurry up and do that, and if you haven't reviewed the previous chapter, I suggest you go ahead and do so because it will not get posted anywhere else. If you're not sure how to accept the connection, pm me and I'll help you. Hope you enjoy this chapter!!**

This was the roughest weekend of goodbyes that I ever had to suffer through.

I was too tired on Friday to do anything so Eric agreed to wait on their plans to leave until Saturday. All throughout Friday, I was in and out of consciousness to know Charlie was worried that I was sleeping too much. If he only knew that in a few days, I'd no longer require sleep.

It wasn't until six o' clock Saturday morning when I opened my eyes for good. Charlie's snores were increasingly loud, but that wasn't what woke me.

"You know that's really creepy; the way you just sit there and watch me sleep." I asked to the shadowy mass that was in the corner of my room. I turned on the lamp on my table and Edward stepped into the light and sat on the edge of my bed.

"I'm sorry. How did you know I was here? I just got here and I was extremely silent." His lips curled into a one sided smile.

I was taken aback by his question and the first answer that popped into my head seemed to startle me more than even that.

"I think my body is just so attuned to you, I just know when you're near." I said in a light whisper. There was no point in raising it any higher for him to hear me. Vampire hearing came in handy.

"Well to me I would take that as a sign that we belong together. Why should I let you leave me when even our bodies respond in such a way?" I sighed as Edward began very convincingly.

"Edward, this isn't about what we want. There are responsibilities that you have no idea about that only I can handle once in Italy. It's bad enough that Aro has lost his guard dogs. What exactly do you think will happen when he finds out about that? Or if I refused to go to Italy. He has plans for me that are bigger than you or your family even."

"We could hide." The look on his face was extremely tortured, and I had to look away for a moment.

"That wouldn't work Edward and you know that. Demetri has had a taste of you and your family and he. Will. Find. You. And if I'm with you, Aro will have reason to kill every single one of you.

"So just like that, you're turning yourself over to Aro? Regardless of what you mean to me, what we mean to each other."

I lifted myself from underneath my blanket and knelt over to him. I placed a kiss just below his ear before returning to my pillow.

"Yes." I said coldly. I restrained myself from saying it was the only way because I'd come to realize that those little words showed that there was something that I was planning. I figured if I realized something like that, surely a vampire would have as well.

"Edward. Please. For Esme's sake don't do anything stupid. Promise me that you won't leave when I leave. Your family will need you to be strong."

"Whatever." I sighed as the moody vampire stood and hovered over my bed. "Will you be by later then to say goodbye to my family?" His eyes looked to really be asking if I was coming by to say goodbye to him. The tears welled up in my eyes and as distrusting of my voice, I could only manage to nod my head. All it took was for me to blink to barely see Edward jumping out of my window.

It was still a little after six, and there was no way I was going to fall back asleep; especially since I'd slept most of Friday away. I hopped into the shower so that I could start my day before Charlie asked any questions about my plans. He was dreading my return back to Italy more than the Cullen's were. But at least I had a few allies within the Cullen family that understood what needed to be done.

Today was my day to spend with Eric and his pack since they would be leaving late afternoon. I promised Charlie that I would go fishing with him and Billy tomorrow. I thought back to the last fishing trip I was on and it seemed like ages ago. Thinking back to that day, couldn't stop me from remembering everything that I had been through once I arrived in Forks. Meeting my dad for the first time, the Cullen's, the Black's and the wolves. Every single person that I'd met had become a part of me that couldn't very well be erased. Even Angela, Ben, Mike, Eric, and Jessica, had meant something to me.

I was downstairs before I knew it and fixed me a bowl of cold cereal and then left a note for Charlie that I was going to be across the street.

Eric was at the door waiting for me, waving as I ran towards the house. Of course it was my nature to trip once I got to the curb, but I was able to steady myself so that I didn't fall on my face.

"Bella!" I heard him exclaim when I reached the door.

"Eric! How are you feeling?" I asked when I was in his embrace. I was amazed how his scent was a mixture of ice and snow, the scent I first associated with him, and the woods that reminded me so much of Jacob and his pack.

"Better. Both me and Garick slept most of yesterday and slept some of the medicine off. Dr. Cullen just left not too long ago after checking in on us." Eric escorted me into the house where Garick and the rest of the clan were crowded on the couch.

"Hey guys." I greeted when I walked into the living room. All of them just waved their hands briefly at me and turned their attention back at the tv screen which showed me they were playing Call of Duty. Intense.

I pulled up a chair and joked around with them. Everything, our conversation, the laughs, all flowed so naturally together. I laid my head in Eric's arms as we continued for several hours of nonstop chatter.

"Bella, can I speak with you privately?" I followed Eric outside to the back patio. The guys were still engaged in the game. "What you did the other night, no, the weeks leading up to the other night, will come at a cost, that you are determined to bear alone. And while my brothers that have been in Italy may not know the exact risk that you are undertaking, myself and Garick understand. Which is why we want you to have this."

I opened the pouch that he had placed into my hands and whatever the contents were inside were glowing brightly into my hands. I was of course curious what could shine so brightly and reached down inside to pull out a beautiful gold necklace. There was a single teardrop diamond enclosed in more gold encasing with lovely sapphires encrusted throughout the necklace. The necklace itself was slightly warm to touch, as if the light that was radiating from it was also heating it up.

"Eric, this is too beautiful. I cannot accept this." I placed the necklace back in the little bag and tried handing it back to him but he refused.

"No. It would be an honor for you to have this. It has been passed down through many generations and even more eons of time. It is the precious necklace Brisingamen, once owned by the goddess Freyja, once stolen from Loki, a shape-shifting god in my country. It is said that Loki blessed it with some of his powers and then gave it to his third wife, Sigyn. If you are ever in danger, and you are wearing this necklace, you too will be able to tap into Loki's powers and change into an animal of your choosing and escape." Eric said.

"Really? Has anyone ever tried it?" I was astonished that something as beautiful as the necklace in my hands could hold so much power.

There was a heavy chuckle that boomed from Eric's mouth and I suddenly felt foolish. "No, it doesn't work like that. It's just a silly legend. But it is the Brisingamen, however. A prize with my people."

"Then it should stay with your people Eric." I insisted.

"No, Bella. When your Demetri found us, we were already broken. The six of us, are all that are left of our kind. You risked enough as it is, and you are about to risk more in order to keep us free. You are our people now." The sadness that rolled on Eric's face was heart wrenching as it was and I knew I had to keep the necklace.

"Where will you go?" I asked. We already planned on keeping touch though only via text message only. I was too concerned that one of the vampires would recognize his voice if or when they overheard our conversation.

"Not far it seems. The elders of Jacob's pack agreed to let us stay with them for a short while. Their Leah imprinted yesterday on Josef. It's a strange phenomenon, this imprinting." I laughed at Eric's marvel. But it was true, I barely even understood the process.

I looped the strings of the pouch to my wrist and walked back into the house with Eric.

One look at the clock told me that it was almost five-thirty, and they would be leaving everything in the house behind.

"You'll keep me posted on your lives after Volterra?" I asked, the tears not even bothering to well up first. They simply poured out of my eyes silently, one after another, to the point I could barely see past them.

"Yes, and you'll keep us posted on your life in Volterra?" I sniffled some tears back as I nodded yes. Eric stuffed me into his arms and I breathed in his scent once more, probably for the last time, and he kissed me on my forehead. "Take care of yourself Isabella."

"You too Eric." One by one, each of them took turns saying their thanks and goodbyes. Eric and Garick of course were the longest of all six. Eric came back for one more hug and wiped the tears from my eyes. "I am extremely proud and honored to know you Bella." With one more kiss on my cheek, I watched as the six Nordic men disappeared into the woods and ran off.

I walked back over to Charlie's house and noticed that the cruiser was gone. Pulling my keys out of my pocket, I hopped in my truck and drove to the manor.

I wasn't planning on staying long, cause I knew that this was going to be painful as it was. I pulled into the long drive, and turned the car around so that I could make a quick getaway if it did in fact become too painful to bear. I was saying goodbye to the people I spent the most time with in Forks. And other than Charlie, I loved them the most as well.

I left the pouch that contained the necklace on the seat and jumped out of the truck. Before I could reach the door, Carlisle had already opened it for me.

"Bella." His tone was solemn, knowing what was about to happen. I followed him into the living room, everyone perched together with their mates save for Edward, but there were two missing.

"Where's Alice and Jasper?" I asked, though besides saying goodbye to Edward, I was dreading saying goodbye to Alice.

"Alice and Jasper left early this morning. She left a note for you. Her instructions were not to read it until you're alone." Carlisle handed me an envelope that contained her note. I looked at the front and I saw my name written in her elegant handwriting. I didn't dare crumple it so I placed it on the table that stood beside me.

"Well, I'm not really good with goodbyes. But we all know that's why I'm here, so…" I said allowing my words to drift off, not really knowing what to say next.

"Just thank you for everything you've done for me. I love you all and I hope that when I'm less breakable, I will be able to see you again." A light laugh floated from my lips and I looked at each of them; Edward being the last I looked at.

My heart shattered when I looked upon him, his head was cast down but he slowly drew his eyes upward at me. And without saying a word, Edward left the room. There weren't even words that could describe how I was hyperventilating. I felt Carlisle's cold hands on my back and I focused on the sensation to help me focus.

"Carlisle?" I simply said and he embraced me to try to comfort me.

"You're doing the right thing Bella. Hold on to that." He whispered in my ear and I couldn't tell if anyone else heard him. I buried my head in his chest and felt another set of arms wrap around me. I looked and saw Esme's sweet, charming face smiling at me.

"Bella, dear. I want you to know, that you will forever be a daughter to me. I consider my love for you equal to Rose or Alice, and everything that you're doing for my family, I will forever be in your debt of gratitude." I switched my position so that I was grasping Esme. Her words warmed and chilled me at the same time.

We stood like that for a moment before I even realized that my tears were staining her shirt. Alice would never forgive me, and because of my embarrassment, I pulled out of Esme's hug. Emmett was next to say goodbye, and he did it in a way I would only expect Emmett to do it. He suddenly rushed forward and threw me up in the air so that my hands grazed the high ceiling and gently caught me into an almost suffocating bear hug.

"Alright lil sis. I'll miss you, you know?" I kissed Emmett on his cheek as he put me down and looked at Rosalie. Perfect Rose.

"I know we didn't have the best relationship," Rose started before I found even ground. "But I want you to know that I do think of you as a friend, not quite a sister yet, but I hope one day we can work on that." I smiled at Rose because she said everything that I probably would have said to her if I had the chance. Still, this wasn't a moment for handshakes so I hugged her as she hesitantly put her arms around me.

"Well I guess, when you talk to Alice and Jasper, please let them know I said goodbye and that I love them always. And you can say the same to Edward too." I whispered the last part, not knowing if he was still in the house or if he left. If he was still there, he would have heard me anyways.

I turned to leave, grabbing Alice's note from the table, and all of them walked me to the door for one last group hug.

"I promise when I can, I'll be back to visit." I told them, not wanting our goodbyes to be final.

Alone, I walked out the door, and saw Edward sitting by the door of my truck.

"I thought you left." I whispered.

"Without saying goodbye? I couldn't walk away from you again." Edward whispered back.

"You know this is necessary right?" I asked.

"I wish it wasn't though." Was all he said before hugging me.

I looked up into his eyes and saw that his golden hue was brighter than I'd ever noticed before. And with such urgency, we kissed our last kiss as the clouds finally broke, and a light rain began to trickle to the earth.

"I need to go." I whispered but not wanting the truth to be near.

But instead of continuing holding me, Edward opened the door to the truck. Almost daring me to get in or stay with him. I looked between the two, Edward and my truck, and hopped in. But when I was situated in my seat, Edward was gone, my door still open.

I shoved the key in the ignition but I couldn't put it in gear. For twenty minutes I sat in the cab of the truck, in front of the Cullen house, crying. Probably the hardest goodbyes that I had to do, was finally over.

I looked at the letter that Alice left for me, and broke the seal of the envelope. I smiled as her scent, which was all over the envelope and letter filled the cab and it had a strange calming effect. I laughed at the notion that Jasper mixed some of his gift on an inanimate object, but I knew that it wasn't possible.

I read the letter, and read it again. Alice's words danced off of the paper as if her words encumbered her entire being. Her perfect handwriting were the notes in which she danced to:

"_My dearest Bella,_

_I am sorry that Jasper and I weren't there to see you leave. Though it will be painful to see you go, the mission that we have undertaken is one that we choose to make so that you didn't have to. You see sometimes I saw you with Eleazar and other times, you were lost in the woods of Denali, and lately the visions of you being lost were increasingly great. I searched back for the trigger and saw that you were trying to squeeze in a visit to find out what Eleazar saw in you that Aro wants so much. So by the time you are reading this, we have already made it to Denali and I will find away to make it to you before you leave for Italy. Bella, we love you so much, and while we don't want you to ever leave our side, we know for now that it is for the best. _

_With so much love,_

_Alice and Jasper Whitlock"_


	26. Chapter 24: A Night to Remember

Chapter 24

I was curled in a ball on the plush seats on the private plane that Aro sent for me. I was hoping that Aro would also send Felix or someone to keep me company on the plane, but he didn't. Of course then I realized that no one probably wanted to fly back with the stinky werewolves that were supposed to be accompanying me.

It was there in my seat that I rested my eyes, replaying the events that began with graduation. The flight attendant probably thought I was crazy because I would smile randomly and then cry the next moment, those moments when I said goodbye to all that I loved. I was about to have a breakdown when I thought of seeing Alice and Jasper.

They had stopped by Charlie's house late on Monday; Charlie was watching some baseball game that had just went into extra innings and I was about to head upstairs for bed since my flight was in the morning. I made it to the top landing when I heard the door knocking.

"I got it." I called to Charlie so he didn't have to get out of his comfortable spot. I took my time though going back down even though I was tempted to hop a few steps at a time. Staircases really were my enemy after all.

"Ohmygosh! Alice, Jasper! I'm so happy you made it back home." I rushed my words out as I snared both of their hard necks into my arms. They each put an arm around me, neither one of us saying a word or even moving. I was content being near Alice that I barely felt the cramp forming in my leg from standing so long.

"Bella, I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable at the moment." I heard Jasper whisper but I was confused because vampires were able to stay in one position for indefinite periods of time. When I pulled away from them however, I understood.

"Sorry Jazz. If you'd like, go hunt. I understand." I offered him an apologetic smile, careful not to make him think I wasn't sympathetic to him.

"No, I'm fine. It's just you were a little closer than ever before." His southern drawl was enticing and he even flashed a quick teethy smile my way, reminding me that he was the newest to the vegetarian diet. But he was very controlled, no major incidents have happened, other than what happened in the parking lot ages ago. And though the smile was only a bit frightening, it was very playful.

"Hey Bells, the game's over so I'm going to bed." I heard Charlie shut the light off in the den. He saw Alice and Jasper standing in the door and waved. I suddenly realized that Charlie had never met Jasper before. "Don't stay up to late, you have an early flight." Charlie kissed me on the top of my head before turning up the stairs.

"Okay, we won't make this long. First let me just say that Eleazar was astonished that you made your way to Forks all the way from Italy. When he was there, he had no idea that you had any family. And he is sorry that you had such an ordeal." Alice started.

"It wasn't really like he would have been able to do anything had he known." I pointed out. I managed to survive in the Volturi for several reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with Charlie, and everything to do with the sheer power of a handful of vampires who by Aro's edict couldn't harm me. He never would have made it out of the castle with me if he knew where I was to be placed. I wanted to tell her to mention to Eleazar that while his expression of sympathy is an appreciated gesture, it wasn't needed. But that would have been dreadfully rude, and that was something I didn't need to be.

"Okay so, he remembers the trip to Volterra when he had to meet you for the first time. I mean how could he not, he's a vampire right? Anyways, he told me what your gift was." I had listened intently and I was completely floored with the news that Alice gave me. No wonder Aro was so interested in me. And no wonder he was careful that no one had turned me too early. He needed me to be completely mature enough to control myself.

I also knew that if for whatever reason Aro was to meet Alice, Jasper or even Eleazar before I was able to develop my gift, they'd be killed. Eleazar for telling Alice, and Alice and Jasper for knowing.

I wrestled with myself trying to figure out how I was going to survive telling Aro that his pet dogs were gone. As it were, he knew that he wouldn't be able to send Demetri to find them and he'd also be hard pressed to explain why he's not sending anyone after them. One thing was for sure, I had to tell him a story in a way the Cullen's weren't implicated.

At some point, after refueling in new York, I fell asleep with dried tears on my face. The dreams were fairly light, a few with Edward in the meadow. Our skin was the same, and at first it was a wonderful dream. But I could feel myself getting upset that it was something that probably wouldn't happen. In a sense, I was raised as a princess within the Volturi, and Aro was probably grooming Felix to be my prince.

I was drowsy when I woke up to this realization, as if I'd taken some cold medication; and it took me a while to register that I was in someone's arms.

"Ahh, so Sleeping Beauty emerges." I groaned at the fairy tale reference since it was Felix that was carrying me. And then suddenly I wondered if he had kissed me.

"I didn't mean to sleep the whole way here." I had no idea why I was apologizing.

"Bella, where are the wolves? Besides the attendants you were the only one on the plane." I could barely make out Felix's outline in the dark of the night, but I could tell that he had his eyebrows raised.

"they ran off in the middle of the night. Eric and his brother were buried that Friday as planned. And other than the times I was sleeping or saying goodbye to everyone, I was with them. I last saw them at the house Monday night before returning to Charlie's."

"Aro will not be pleased. Did the Cullen's go look for them?" Felix asked and this was where I knew it would get tricky when Aro asked me the same question."

"No. They don't know that they left. I went to collect them from the house before we were due to leave. The plan was for them to follow me and Charlie back. But all I found was a note. I never told the Cullen's." I pulled a note that I had Josef write and sign before they left.

I held it out for him to take, now that his hands were free from carrying me. The SUV that we were in lurched forward at an impossible pace.

Felix shook his head and pushed my hand away. "Those matters are for Aro." He simply said before turning to look out the darkened window. I followed his gaze and he wasn't staring at anything in particular.

We rode in silence for several minutes before I couldn't take the cold shoulder treatment any longer.

"So, a cold reception is all I'm going to receive from you, Felix?" I asked, sounding a bit dejected. Though, I really was.

"Is there something more you want?" Felix responded just as cold as the way he regarded me. My eyebrows furrowed close, I didn't know how to handle this unwarranted resentment.

"Are you so upset that the wolves ran away from me, that you would hate me so much?"

Felix finally took his eyes away from the window and looked at me. His red eyes were darkening into black. "You think I hate you? You're so absurd sometimes. I can't figure you out." Felix blistered out before jumping out of the car, not waiting for it to come to a stop.

I hadn't even noticed we pulled into the garage underneath the castle. Jane and Heidi opened the door to greet me and grab my bags.

"Bella! Welcome home. Your room is all ready for you." Heidi said, reminding me of a resort manager. I gave them both a hug and neither seemed surprised that the wolves weren't in the car with us. Felix must have already told them on his way out.

"Aro wishes to see you before you retire to your room." Gianna said after she greeted me at the entrance to the tunnels. I simply nodded my bead as I followed her back to the antechamber.

The castle seemed even grander than the last time I was here, as if it was remodeled. But then it occurred to me, I was still in a weirded out state, getting over Edward's apparent rejection, that I hadn't really observed how much I missed the atmosphere of the castle. But my heart was heavy with the meeting that was about to take place with Aro.

"Ahhh, there she is. Our beautiful Bella has returned to us at last." Aro exclaimed when he saw me walk through the threshold.

I ran to his arms and gave him two kisses on his cheek. "I have sad news uncles. The Children of the Moon that you left in my custody skipped out on me. I'm so sorry."

"Felix showed me your conversation. There is a note?" I reached into my pocket and drew out the letter I'd stuffed in there and handed it to him.

"What does it say brother?" Caius spoke up from the altar with curiosity.

"I'm sorry Bella, but there is no way I can lead my family back to those cruel monsters. If this causes an inconvenience for you, again I apologize. Go with God. Josef." Aro read the note.

"This is a disaster! Those dogs know the layout of the castle. We should have killed them like I originally planned!" Caius was entirely outraged.

"Yes this security breach is quite unfortunate, and it is even more so that there is yet a tracker that will be able to find them. Damn!" Aro was instantly by a column and slammed his fist into it. Granite rocks and powder went flying and it reminded me that I was the most breakable thing in the room.

"Uncle? How can I help fix it?" I asked shyly.

"No," he took an unnecessary breath, which was odd because they weren't accustomed to the human nuances that the Cullen's endured to acclimate in society.

"It's alright dear. We probably should have left someone with you. There are other things we need to speak about with you."

"My transformation." I answered for him.

"Ahhh yes, that." Aro's smile was bigger than normal; of course he was finally getting what he's always wanted.

Without thinking I stretched out my neck, and held it out for him. From what I was told, the pain was excruciating so I closed my eyes to brace myself. I felt a single tear roll out of my eye, and then I heard all of my uncles laughing.

"Bella, Bella. We are not going to do this now. There is much preparation. It's only befitting for the princess to have coronation."

"A ball! You're throwing me a ball!! How could you! You know I hate dancing," my nerves took away all fear I had about the poison spreading through my body.

"I have no worries that you will be anything short of flawless." Aro wrapped his arm around my shoulder and led me to the staging area where the thrones were. "Once you are truly apart of the family, you will lead the guard and stand by my side."

"Uncle, I will do what you ask, but please. Please, I beg you anything but the ball and the title. You know I can't handle the spotlight." I was seconds from kneeling on the ground at his feet. The thought of being known as the Princess of the Volturi was absolutely revolting to me.

Aro looked back at my uncles and it looked as though they nodded ever so slightly. "We'll grant you the title wish, but there will still be a ball. It is all we will compromise with you."

I guess I could suffer through one night of dancing. Heidi would be thrilled that she'd have to chance to go shopping for a ball gown for me.

"So when is this ball supposed to take place?" I asked.

"On the day of your rebirth. And I think that it would be only fitting that should take place on the anniversary of the day we found you. September 17th. It will be a night to remember!"

**A/N: I know it was a short chapter, I'm sorry. But hopefully I'll have another chapter up in a day or two. For those of you who has had a chance to read Carlisle's POV bonus chapter, let me know if I should do another reward. I'm thinking of doing a chapter in Alice's POV next, but I'm open to ideas for a different POV. KK, keep the reviews coming! **

**Love**

**Jshai**


	27. Chapter 25: It's All About You

**A/N: Yes I know I promised this last week, but technology and real life were not too kind at all. Between getting bombarded with several projects at the same time at work, and visiting with my nephews and niece. I didn;t get a chance to upload the story. Then I started working on another bonus chapter knowing Chapter 25 was complete. But when I went to upload it, only half of the story was there. So I had to rewrite, and while it didn't turn out the way I originally planned it, I'm a bit happier with this version anyway. Hope you enjoy!! And don't forget to review. It's the only way I can survive!!**

"Wakey- wakey sleepy head. There's so much for you to do before the extravaganza!" Heidi trilled in my head while effectively waking me up.

"Heidi, how is it possible there's still so much for me to do? My gown has been chosen, and you've already twisted, prodded and curled my hair to figure out my hairstyle for the evening. And it's still a month and a half away!" I groaned under my breath. I was actually hoping that I had hissed my words, but I was too tired.

For at least the last week, Heidi seemed to have forgotten that I was human and expected me to keep up with her mundane details for this party that I never wanted to have in the first place. And yet, Aro made it clear that while final decisions and veto power was to be made by him, everything had to be ran by me first.

"Honestly Bella, I wish you would take on a different attitude towards this party. It is a huge ordeal for your uncles. There could be lives at stake here." Immediately, Heidi looked like she said too much and I knew something was up.

"Heidi what do you mean? What don't I know?" I whispered.

"Aro is using this party as a means to get everyone together to see where their alliance is. The Romanians are still planning an attack in the future, and Aro wants to know who will fight with them. This will be as much political as it is fun. And don't you forget that." I of course, instantly felt bad.

"Why didn't my uncle tell me?"

"Because there is nothing you would have been able to do Mon Chere." I jumped at the sudden sound of Aro's voice.

"Uncle Aro," I climbed out of bed and gave him a hug. "You hardly ever come to my chambers. To what do I owe a pleasure of your visit?"

It was a bright smile that I received from Aro and I knew whatever it was it was going to be good.

"Why yes it will be a pleasure because I have a surprise for you." Ok maybe this won't be good, I amended to myself. I groaned as I let him drag me from my room.

"Wait master! What about the list? I was going to have her go over the guest list." Heidi called after us.

"Oh Heidi is that necessary? I would never dream of inviting any of my human ties to such an event, and other than the Volturi, the only vampires that I have a relationship with is the Cullen's. As long as they are invited, I am ok with whoever you add." I looked to Aro for confirmation and he nodded to Heidi that was fine.

"Wait Aro, master, you are forgetting something." Heidi said and Aro looked around trying to figure what might jog his perfect memory. "Bella is human, if you are planning on taking her outside, she'll need a coat. It's still rather chilly in the morning."

"Outside? We're going outside. Uncle won't you be seen?" I asked, though there seemed to be no worry on Aro's face. Not that there would be an indicator of such a thing. Aro as all of my uncles have always been very good at hiding their true emotions for the most part. So I didn't know why I expected there to be. And of course the back of the castle was enclosed with a high wall, with the grounds spreading far beyond the city limits. At some point in time, the Volturi spent mass amounts of money to buy up the vacant land that was behind the castle. They never really did anything with it, but it was beautiful back there. There was even a slight river that ran through, though brook was more like it.

"Darling no, you should know that. But Heidi is right, you should have a coat or something. And to think in a little over a month, you won't have to worry about such trite things." Aro's not so subtle reminder that I would no longer be human kind of put a damper on my already bad mood caused by such a rude wake-up call.

I grabbed the Dolce jacket that I'd strewn about on one of the chairs last night when I got undressed, which of course only made Heidi suck her teeth at me. She hated when I didn't treat designer clothes with the respect that she thought they deserved. We clearly would never see eye to eye on some things.

"Is everything alright uncle?" I couldn't help but ask as we walked down the long corridor that lead outside. I'd never been fond of going outside with either of my uncles for some reason, even though I rarely went in the back of the castle. I also had a weird aversion to them carrying me which felt wrong, even as Aro cradled me as he now ran. There was something that he really wanted me to see.

I could feel the temperature difference from inside to the out, and my interest in what was going on peaked when in one swift move, Aro had let me slide from his embrace and covered my eyes at the same time. I didn't even have a second to brace myself but he managed to place me on my own two feet.

"Are you ready?" He asked in his usual giddy self, and I groaned at the idea of yet another surprise. I honestly couldn't wait until I had the newborn strength because I was making a list of every vampire that had ever surprised me.

Aro released my eyes as his hostage and I squinted into the light as I waited for my eyes to adjust to the sun. The back yard was completely re-landscaped to look more like a forest. "Oh my gosh, uncle. What is all this?" I asked astonished at the lush trees that I had never seen in Italy before.

"It's something that Felix had us put together while you were in Forks. We took our time showing you for the simple fact that we were having a little bit of trouble getting some of the animals through the fortitude. Then there was the whole mating thing that we waited to see if it would take. There are a couple of deer that are pregnant by the way, you might want to stay away from those, though we can always restock for you. Why anyone would want to eat any of those things is beyond me."

I looked at him confused briefly before realization set in. "You brought in animals and redesigned the entire back of the castle for me? That's insane." I hugged him, resisting the urge of jumping into his arms. I laughed internally at the thought that I was actually excited about a present that I wouldn't be able to enjoy until I became a vampire.

"Now when you do gain some control of your thirst, try not to drain every animal in the park, if you will. If we're going to allow you to suffer through this, we need to build you a sound eco-system." Aro said breathing into my hair as we were still embraced. "Now, I do believe that there is even more for you to see."

I took a step back from him. "Oh no, what else is there?" I looked at him skeptically, but I noticed his eyes weren't focused on me. I turned around and saw Felix standing behind me, clutching a bouquet of flowers.

"Bella would you come with me?" Felix held out his hand for me to take and now I was utterly confused. "Please." He simply said, his face was twisted in pain, almost reminiscent of Edward when he was conflicted.

I paused hesitantly, thinking of Edward for a brief moment, before taking Felix's hand. I'd been here for about six weeks now and not once had Felix taken any time for me. He volunteered for every mission that came across the Volturi, just to avoid awkward moments of avoiding me. Initially, I was hurt, but eventually I'd learned to ignore him and his retreating travels.

"May I?" He asked, which indicated that he wanted to carry me somewhere, so I nodded.

I held out my hand, ready to climb on his back, but suddenly my eyes went dark. It took me a moment to register that Felix had blindfolded me. I growled at the thought that there was a surprise that he kept from me. At least that was the only reason that I could think of that warranted a blindfold.

My feet were lifted from the ground, a very unsettling feeling when you're deprived of sight. Felix began running, and the only way I could tell was the way my hair was whipping in a million and one directions.

All at once, I felt Felix turn me over from his back as he sat me down on the ground. I expected to grass beneath me, but instead it was more of a cloth.

"So are you planning on taking this off of me?" I asked when it seemed like forever that I was sitting here. Felix was completely silent and I wasn't even sure if he was still there.

"I've hoped that you would see someday my redeeming qualities as a suitable mate. I'm not blind, I know you have and probably will always have feelings for Cullen. But I can't help knowing that if you and me were together, there would be no limit to all that we can do." I heard Felix speaking to me. I tried untying the knot of the blindfold but it was no use.

"I came across this place in Forks, and I thought that you would like it. I found it quaint and I knew instantly that you would fall in love with it." Effortlessly, Felix untied the knot, in one smooth motion. I allowed a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the sudden light before I looked around in astonishment.

"Felix, what is this place?" I turned around in an endless circle, staring at a replica of our meadow. Mine and Edward's.

"You don't like it?" The disappointment in his voice was unmistakable, and I immediately felt horrible.

"It's not that I don't like it Felix. It's just that, well, the meadow back in Forks was a spot that Edward brought me to. And I guess I'm just shocked to see something that I figured I wouldn't see again." Felix never looked up at me, it was as if he regretted what he thought was a beautiful gift.

"I truly appreciate the gesture Felix. It was really sweet of you." I stood on my toes to give him a peck on his cheek, but he turned his head slightly so that my lips grazed the corner of his mouth. Without even realizing what I was doing, I let my lips linger about two seconds longer than they should have.

But my eyes rested on the trees of the meadow replica, and I shook my head away before what I meant to be an innocent peck turned into something more.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I understand." Felix whispered, guilt rushed through my entire being and I knew I was blushing.

"It's okay Felix. I just need a little time, is all." My words were complete air but it seemed Felix heard them regardless. He nodded his head in agreement and began to lead me back to the fortress. He held my hand, our fingers were entwined with each other, and even I had to admit that it felt nice. But my heart was tugging away because he wasn't Edward.

But I knew that if the Volturi had to be my life to make sure everyone was safe, Felix would be the better choice. I would never ask Edward to stay in the guard, to be used by Uncle Aro, but I knew if he thought of the idea, he would do so, just to stay by my side. And as much as I would love to be with him, I didn't want the responsibility of breaking up his family. I kept seeing Esme's heart breaking and there was no way I could go through with it.

"Are you anxious about your transformation?" Felix asked to keep the silence away.

"Umm, I'm more nervous about the ball, than the pain. You know I really hate dancing." I replied.

Felix let out a very boisterous laugh, so much so that it startled me. "How could I forget? Your very first lesson was quite hilarious." I punched Felix playfully, careful not to hit him too hard to keep from breaking my hand. But I soon laughed with him. I was glad that we were able to get past the tension. The last thing I ever wanted was for Felix to feel hurt that I didn't immediately return the same feelings that he had for me.

"Bella? Oh there you are! We need to go over the menu for the party." Heidi came running towards us like a missile. I almost thought she was going to run into us.

"Heidi, what do you mean the menu? Everyone will be vampires." And then suddenly I wondered if she was asking me to pick the humans. I honestly couldn't see myself saying let's order Mexican for the party.

"Silly no. There will be some humans there, for instance Gianna will be as well. We need to feed the humans."

"Why can't you do the menu real quick. How am I supposed to know what everyone will eat." I caught a quick glance of Felix who looked thoroughly amused at what was transpiring.

"Honestly Bella, none of us here have been human for quite some time. You're the only one that's been a human within the last century." I looked into her eyes and she seemed so desperate.

"Well as amusing as this is, I think I'll leave you two alone." There was a brief look of longing that I was almost sure Felix was going to kiss me again, but instead he turned and ran back to the castle.

"Alright give me the choices for the menu." I demanded, holding my hand out for the selection.

"Oh don't worry about it. Gianna already chose the menu." I stared at Heidi in shock at the whole dramatic production that she just put on. "Bella, I know you. You still love Edward, and you can't afford to get tangled up with Felix if your heart is somewhere else." I knew she was right, but I didn't think that I was that transparent.

"You don't think I'm trying to get over Edward? I'm trying to learn how to live without him." I asked shamefully.

"No. I think the better question is, 'do you want to get over him?' Bella, think about it, he was your first love. And I'm not doubting Felix's devotion to you, but I just think that before you start messing around with his feelings, you need to come to terms with Edward first." Heidi spun on her heel and left me standing alone in the middle of the animal refuge to stew about my true intentions .

I took my time heading back to my room. There were no lessons that I needed to rush off to since Uncle Aro said I didn't need to train anymore. I think he just got tired of hearing me complain non-stop. Heidi's words kept themselves in the forefront of my mind, as I finally crossed the threshold of the bay doors.

I desperately wanted to go for a drive in one of the cars, but Aro had me on house arrest practically to keep me safe from the external elements. The only thing I could think of doing that would help clear my head was going back up to my room and read.

Off to my room I went.

* * *

"Bella? Bells, are you ready?" Gianna called out to me from the door of my room. I was finishing up in my bathroom and was about to rush with her to the airport to pick the first guests to the ball, the Cullen's.

I couldn't contain my excitement when I heard that they were coming early. Gianna was the one that told me first, and I was glad that she was there to share my excitement with me. No one else would, they were still mad at Edward for the way he left me. I tried telling everyone that he also had a hand in saving my life, but it didn't work. As far as they were concerned, he was the reason my life needed saving in the first place. Ironically, Edward felt the same way, and that was why in left.

In the weeks that led up to their arrival unwittingly, I grew closer to Felix. We took turns visiting each other in our rooms, where he always ended up watching me sleep. And it was nice to wake up in his arms. Our relationship was no longer strained and we had several talks of making things official, but Felix wanted to wait.

"I don't want you to rush into anything, especially with Cullen about to make an appearance back in your life." I remembered him saying to me one night. So when he told me a few days later that when the Cullen's arrived, and that he wasn't going to interfere with the visit, I was visibly hurt. But I understood completely.

"Hurry up Bella!" Gianna rushed me from my thoughts. "Do you want to take your car? Or will you just ride with me?"

"I'll take my car and let Rose drive it back. She'll like that." Gianna nodded as we started walking towards the garage entrance. Whenever Aro would let me go out I always jumped at the opportunity. He was so much afraid that something would happen to me while on the outside so close to my transformation. And it was even rare that he allowed me out without a member of the guard, so I had even more reason to be excited.

Me and Gianna swerved through the lanes, racing not abnormally fast like a vampire though, towards the airport. Rose would be happy to drive the Ferrari, but without knowing where she was going, she'd have to follow Gianna back. That she would not be happy about.

The plane was taxiing down the runway to the private hanger by the time we arrived. I waited impatiently outside the vehicles with Gianna, for them to get off the plane. The first one to deplane was Alice. All I needed to see was her spiky black hair and I started running towards them.

"Oh I'm so glad you're here." Alice's arms wrapped around me extra tight and I didn't even mind that I was suffocating.

"Bella we've missed you so much." I heard Esme exclaim when she stepped off the plane as well. I watched as everyone was now standing in front of me and it seemed weird that I was looking at them in Italy instead of Forks.

"So you're really following through with this Bella?" Carlisle asked me while we walked back to the cars and Gianna. I helped them put their bags and such in the trunk of the Escalade.

"Yeah Carlisle. I'm a little anxious about it, but it's the right thing. Besides, I won't be clumsy anymore." I tried to lighten things up with a little laugh at the end, but it only seemed to thicken the tension.

"Well great, me and Jasper will ride with Bella and the rest of you will ride with Gianna." Alice suddenly took charge of the conversation and practically stuffed me into the driver's seat of the Ferrari. I strained to hear Rose utter something about this being my car.

"Alice what was that? I was going to let Rose drive." I said as Jasper climbed uncomfortably in the backseat.

"I know but we needed to speak privately with you." Jasper said calmly. I started the ignition and turned back towards them.

"Speak to me about what?" I asked.

They looked at each other briefly before turning back to me. "You."


	28. Chapter 26: Very Bad Things Can Happen

"Me?" I asked in shock.

"Yes, you. What the hell is wrong with you Bella? I keep seeing your future with Edward fade in and out. You're not seriously going to choose Felix are you?" Alice asked, and since I was still human, I stopped myself from going into a fit of giggles. Alice may be small, but there was no doubt in my mind that she was a fierce vampire to be reckoned with. It was just at that moment, she seemed like a little girl asking her mother for an ice cream cone.

"Oh." I said as I settled back in my seat and put the car in gear to follow Gianna back to the castle. "Well, Alice, Felix is here every day. Edward wouldn't even get on the phone with me when I called. I would have hoped that there was something left between us. But honestly, I think we hurt each other too much for there to be anything that could survive this."

"But how did you hurt Edward?" Jasper called from the backseat. "Everything that you did was to assure our safety." I looked in the rearview mirror and I couldn't tell of he had added, "unless there is something else," but his lips were unmoving.

"It was to protect all of you, and I've tried telling him that, but he won't listen." I retorted.

"But Bella--" Jasper started but Alice interrupted him.

"No she's right Jasper. You know how he is. He's a stubborn little brat and once his mind is made up, there's no changing it." Alice came to my rescue gratefully, and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh no missy, I'm not done with you. That still doesn't explain why you're choosing Felix over my brother! You two belong together and you know it." Alice argued and for a moment I wish I wasn't driving due to being too scared of the pixie in the passenger seat.

"Alice once this transformation is complete, I'll be in the guard. There's no denying that. And where would Edward be expected to be? If he stayed with me, your family would be broken up. You can't ask me to be responsible for that." I said turning my full attention back to the road.

"But--" Alice tried speaking but it was my turn to do the interrupting.

"No Alice. And that's final. While I'd like to say Edward was the reason that we're in this situation, I know my lies played a part as well." I said as we pulled into the garage. I wanted to end the conversation quickly since pretty soon, every vampire in the other car would hear it. Though it didn't really matter unless Alice planned on blocking it from Edward.

"But, Bella, what difference does it make whether you knew about vampires beforehand?"

"That's not a question for me. Edward is the only one that can answer that question. But no matter what, my lies lead to him leaving. His leaving, left everything open to happen. The damage has been done, and I don't know fully what the consequences of all of our actions will be." I gave her one last look before putting the car in park and getting out.

"Well I have to leave and go back to work. If you guys ever need anything, don't hesitate to call." Gianna waved everyone off and turned and ran into the catacombs of the castle to get back to her desk.

"No way! You guys have an Impression?" Rosalie exclaimed.

"Which one is that?" I asked, there were so many cars in here that I couldn't understand how anyone could tell a difference of what was what. Rosalie pointed to a roadster that was reminiscent of a car from the 1920's, in a shiny silver color with a cream interior. It was one of my favorite cars to ride with Caius in.

"Oh that's Uncle Caius' car," I figured I'd mentioned since he was very particular about who touched his car. "Speaking of cars, you're more than welcome to pretty much any car in the garage. You can ask Gianna or Santiago about which cars are off limited. But for the most part any car except the brothers is fine."

"What about the Ducati's?" Jasper said from behind me.

"The Ducati's are also up for grabs, but the all black one and the all white one are mine." I mentioned.

"You own two Superbike 1198 Corse Special Edition Bikes?" Jasper seemed amazed at something I had no idea was so extraordinary. So I shrugged.

"Over the years, they kind of spoiled me here. Hoping their love of fast vehicles would rub off on me." I walked to the back of the Escalade to grab some of their bags, but mainly to escape Edward's stares.

"If you want I can show you to your rooms."

"That would be lovely dear." Esme accepted and gave me such a warm smile. Alice had the most bags of course, empty ones so that she could bring all of her shopping treasures home. The empty bags were the only ones anyone let me carry.

"I'm assuming that there is a session going on. Normally we would have run into a few vampires in the hallway by now." I said as everyone trailed behind me to the elevator. "And I know Uncle Aro was eager to greet you Carlisle."

"Yes, it has been a long time." Carlisle mused and smiled.

I mentally cursed Heidi and Gianna for purposely choosing the rooms in my wing to host the Cullen's. It was like they were forcing Edward to constantly be in my face. Knowing them, they probably were.

"Carlisle and Esme, this one is yours." I took turns divvying up the rooms between the couples. I placed Alice and Jasper in the room next to mine and gave Edward the room directly across from me, even though Heidi specifically wanted Edward next to me since it had the adjoining door. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if he was that close to me.

"Oh my gosh! Look at your closet space," Alice exclaimed after wanting to see my room and getting her things settled. Jasper and Edward walked slowly behind her, and Esme and Carlisle drifted in as well. One look on Esme's face told me where Rose and Emmett were and I stifled a laugh.

"So Bella, how are you doing?" Esme asked concerned.

"I'm good. I'm not really nervous. I don't think it's really hit me yet." I saw Edward's nose pinch up and I knew he didn't like the way the conversation was starting out. He hated the idea of me losing my humanity, and on some degree I did too. It wasn't until I met Edward that I had embraced the idea, an idea that I put away when he left. But this decision was now based on survival.

"So can someone tell me how Charlie is doing? I talk to him almost as much as I talk to you guys back home, but I always think that he's hiding something from me." I looked around at everyone and finally settled on Carlisle.

"Charlie's doing good. He actually just came to my office for a checkup, and he's in fine health. Needs to cut back on the cholesterol, but Sue's helping him with that. They've been spending a lot of time together." Carlisle informed me. His assurances of his well-being calmed any fears that something was wrong with my father.

I was about to ask for more details on the relationship of Charlie and Sue, but the room phone rang. "Bella? Your uncles are finished with their breakfast and have requested the presence of the Cullen's." Gianna simply said in the receiver. I frowned because she was always a completely different person when she was on official business for Aro than she was when she was simply hanging out with me. I knew it was because she had hopes of joining the ranks of her employers, but part of me knew that wasn't going to happen. Aro never flat out said he was unhappy with the work she did, but he was somewhat visible sometimes. My poor Gianna was going to be dinner one day, and unlike the wolves there was nothing I could do to save her.

"I'll get Rose and Emmett." Jasper said as I got off the phone. I didn't need to say anything to the Cullen's because they heard perfectly well. They allowed me to lead the way even though Carlisle knew he was way around the entire castle. Along the way, I gave them an amended sightseeing tour of the different sections of the castle. Esme was truly fascinated with the architecture and history of the place I called home for seventeen years of my life. Every time I looked back at her she had a ethereal smile that seemed to broadcast happiness.

I was concentrating on not falling when I heard a growl emanate from Edward's lips. I followed through his line of sight and thought I saw a fleeting glance of Felix. "Behave." I hissed towards Edward's direction.

I pushed open the doors to the turret room and we found my uncles sitting on their thrones. The rest of the guard was nowhere to be found, with the exception of Renata.

"Ahhh, yes I'm so pleased that my dear friends have made it all this way to see our dearest Bella, grow up." Aro had a smirk on his face as he rose from his throne and summoned me to him. He waved Renata to stay where she was and took my hand.

"You know, I think of Bella as my daughter after all this time, and to see her making life decisions, if you will, makes me feel so high-spirited."

"Choosing to die is hardly a life decision." Edward spoke louder than he needed to for my benefit. My eyes involuntarily slighted at his words.

"Yes, Edward. I can see how that would rub you the wrong way. But please do understand that there are other things that need resolving. Unanswered questions perhaps?" Aro alluded, and I knew immediately that he was referring to Felix's proposal. My eyes shifted unsteadily to Aro who acted completely oblivious to the way my hand tensed up in his.

If any of the Cullen's understood the subtle reference, I had no clue.

"Outside on Gianna's desk are your itineraries for the week that you will be staying with us. They're actually more like suggestions of what to do while in the area. Bella has informed us that Alice is quite the little shopper. Thanks to Heidi, we have an account with all the major fashion houses in all of Italy. You are more than welcome to use our account as the beloved guests of Bella." Caius spoke up, though he didn't raise from his throne.

"Bella I do think that it may be best for you to show our guests your present that we recently got for you." I nodded as the brothers retreated out of the side door, Renata floating behind Aro.

"They really do spoil you huh? You get presents left and right. Must be nice." Emmett said with a laugh, and there was no hiding the smile that crept on my face, though his remark garnered him a smack on the head from Rosalie.

"Follow me please." I said while turning on my heels and walked towards the same side door that Aro and the rest had left through only seconds before.

We walked down the long corridor until I found the set of doors that would lead us to the middle of the courtyard. Once outside I smiled at the marvel that was my personal forest. Aro had continued to have more and more trees planted and helped out towns that had an excess of animal problems. There were now more deer and several bears in the woodlands, to compensate for the lack of animals that had failed to produce enough offspring to sustain me once I was a vampire.

"They bought you trees? That's got to be the lamest gift ever." Emmett finally said when no one said a word.

"No silly bear. Listen to the sounds. This is for after I've changed." Of course I couldn't hear anything beyond the birds that were chirping. The Cullen's took a moment to look at the forest before running towards their food. Only Carlisle and Esme remained by my side.

"You're taking up our diet once you've become one of us?" Carlisle asked in gratification.

"Yes. The only reason I had put off the transformation for as long as I did was because the thought of taking someone's life in order for me to live disgusted me. It wasn't until I met you that I knew it was even possible to still survive. My uncles thought it was best that I learned the lifestyle from you firsthand instead of hearing their bias towards it."

"You are my daughter as well, Bella." Carlisle said with a smile and Esme hugged me before they joined their children for their meal.

I closed the doors, and headed back upstairs. By now they should be able to know their way around to get back to their rooms. I poked my head into Felix's room but found it empty. The last time I was in his room was about four days ago. He left for a mission, and until today, I didn't think he was back. But looking around his room there wasn't even any evidence that suggested that he had returned.

I strolled by his bed and saw picture that I didn't even know was taken. It was of me and him, during one of our playful moments where he picked me up from behind and was running with me like I was a football. It was while we were in the backyard somewhere. We looked so happy that I smiled just looking at my face.

"What are you doing here?" The voice asked from the doorframe.

"I came to see you. But I found this picture instead. I didn't know you had it." Felix casually strolled to me and sat on the bed. Our hands grazed each other's when he grabbed the frame from me. A jolt of electricity seemed to flow between us but it didn't look like Felix noticed.

"Corin took it one day and surprised me with it. I asked her not to give you a copy until you made a decision about u- what you plan to do." I nodded at his logic, it wouldn't have done well for Edward to see the picture in my room.

"Well I'm going to go. And I'm sure there are quite a few events that are set up for me before this ball. I can't wait till that night is over."

"Night? Bella, it's a two day event." Felix said as I had already started walking to the door.

"No it's not. Uncle said it was to be 'a night to remember.' I was there. I heard him." I could feel my heart rate panicking. Two whole days of dancing? It was too unbearable.

Felix was instantly in front of me and he swiped a strand of hair from my face. Suddenly I wasn't sure if my heart was racing because of the now two day affair or because of the nearness of Felix.

"The first day after you've changed, is a masquerade ball. At midnight, you'll be announced. There will be a few more hours in which you'll dance with some and mingle with the rest. At noon the second day, you and your uncles will hold your first court. This is a major deal to solidify some alliances to the Volturi."

"Is the threat by the Romanians really that bad?"

"It could be."


	29. Chapter 27: Unbearable

It's difficult to say that I got better the closer the time brought me to the pain that I'd put off for so long. Anytime I was left alone to my thoughts, my mind wandered to my days of naivety when I believed that my adopted family members had succumbed to a disease. And now it was I who would follow in their footsteps as this powerful vampire.

But always at the forefront of my thoughts were Felix and Edward. Out of respect, Felix continued to avoid me so that I was free to make my decision. Aro was not happy that Felix had done so, but I found it to be a nice gesture. But with Felix withdrawing, I felt so empty.

Unfortunately, Edward did not step up the way I had hoped he would. Maybe my words to Alice were correct: too much damage was already done.

Which was why I was surprised to wake up on my final day as a human to find Edward perched on my bedpost.

"Good morning Bella." He said with his perfect voice.

"Edward." I sat up in the bed, and groaned knowing my hair was probably a bird's nest.

"Can I trouble you today for a walk this morning? I'd like to speak with you." Edward allowed his nose to pinch; whatever he wanted to talk about must be serious. Especially since this was the most he'd ever said to me since arriving in Volterra.

"Yes. I um, I just need a human moment." He nodded to excuse me, and I ran to my closet and found some dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt. I grabbed some underwear and ran again for my bathroom. Not wanting to waste time I hurried in the shower, multi-tasking brushing my teeth, washing my hair, and shaving in record time.

Edward was still sitting on the post when I returned to my room. I grabbed my grey wrap sweater since it was still early in the morning.

"We can take the window, it'll be faster." Edward said and I didn't object. I slipped into my converse before jumping onto Edwards back. I wrapped my arms around him, fitting perfectly against his body, and buried my head into his back. I took long whiffs of his scent and my lips curled into a smile. Everything about being with Edward just felt right.

He ran through my backyard jungle before coming to the meadow, I knew he'd be the one to find it.

"I found this the first day we came out here to hunt." Edward said when he sat me down on the ground. My feet almost slipped from the dew that rested on the grass, but Edward waited till I righted myself before letting go.

"Felix found our meadow back in Forks. He didn't know I knew about it, he just thought it was something that I would enjoy."

"Bella you don't need to explain. I brought you out here, yes for the resemblance, but I more because it was a familiar setting that I could get my words out more fluently." I was proud that I didn't smile at whatever he was getting at. I just thought it was funny to watch a vampire struggle for words.

"I've been an ass, everyone has pretty much told me so." He tapped his head to let me know that it was in their minds that they had one sided conversations with him. "But I didn't need them to tell me that, I already knew."

He placed a cold hand on my lips when I tried to speak. "Please let me finish. I know we said that we'd start over slow, and I kind of back pedaled. There really isn't anything more I can say." I looked at him like he was crazy. He knew what was at stake and before he said anything of substance, he just stopped?

After about two seconds, I realized why he stopped. His lips came crashing down on mine, our arms were entwined around each other and I was reluctant to pull away from the passion but I still needed to breathe.

"Edward."

"Please choose me. I've already discussed leaving the family for the Volturi. Anything to be with you." Edward was pleading. His golden eyes peered into mine as if he was trying to dazzle me, but I bit my lip to keep me focused. Shock couldn't even describe at the revelation that he'd already discussed leaving the Cullen's. The very thing I didn't want to happen.

"Bella, I've never begged for anything in my life. And I know that I was stupid and selfish in the past. But I can change. For you, I will change."

"Edward. Will you let me speak?" He waited for me to continue with silence which made me happy. He was starting to give me a headache.

"This entire day is the last human moment I'll ever have, and I don't want to spoil it. Could we just please wait until the ball?" The disappointment was evident on his face but I had to stand my ground. I didn't want today ruined.

We were going to spend the day at my favorite museum in all of Volterra, the Museo Etrusco Guarnacci. For some reason I was always fascinated by the funeral urns that were there. They dated back as far as 300 B.C. and the life and death scenes depicted on the urns were amazing. I suppose I've had a healthy obsession with death considering the company I kept.

"I'll wait for you. Even if, you chose someone other than me Bella." Edward kissed the top of my head lifted me up on his back for the return to the castle. Not being able to keep up with vampires was finally going to be a thing of the past.

"Hey guys, are you ready?" I asked when we had reached the back foyer. Everyone nodded as we headed towards the tunnels. We piled into two trucks from the fleet of Escalades and left for the museum.

I figured since we had the somewhat awkward conversation, Edward would not leave my side. Alice and Jasper also joined us in one vehicle, while everyone else piled in the other truck.

"Sei eccitato? In poche ore, vi sara un vampiro." Alice was bouncing up and down in her seat as I drove us around the city.

"Alice, my Italian is a bit rusty, I'm afraid."

"What? How did you live in Italy and barely speak the language?' Alice looked absolutely appalled at the atrocity of it all.

"Alice, I haven't lived in Italy for almost two years. And more over, I haven't heard it spoken even longer. We hardly use it in the castle."

"But what about school? Why didn't you take it there?" Alice seemed more upset about this than she really needed to be.

"They wouldn't let me. Because I was from Italy they assumed that I knew the language, which I did at the time, so they placed me in Spanish." I explained.

"Oh well, estas emocionado? En pocas horas sera un vampiro." Alice was bouncing again. I shook my head and smiled at her enthusiasm. She was only trying to make me happy about my choice.

I'd get there eventually. For now I'll lie.

"Si, lo soy. No puedo esperar." I said trying to match her enthusiasm, but even I could tell that I had failed.

"Liar. You know, I have no idea how you keep getting away with your lies, when you're so bad at it." I looked in the rearview mirror at Alice harshly. She was somewhat close to the reason why I originally came back to Volterra at all. I snuck a peek at Edward who only looked amused with the conversation to even pay attention to the depth of it. Alice must be blocking him pretty effectively for him not to even notice anything.

"Well it's not my fault. You forget, as devious as my uncles can be, they are not accustomed to following through with their deception, as is your family. The lies of the Volturi are direct. When Aro lies, it can be detected if one is looking for it. You and your family make it an art form."

"Well the Cullen way has had a century or two at perfection." Edward reminded me.

"Hmm, and the Volturi has had a millennia of not needing that much perfection. A vampire can try to lie to the Volturi all he wants to, but one touch from Aro, and the lies come crushing down. On the other hand, if you've been able to protect your thoughts from birth, you're able to develop some sort of skill of deception amongst the dangerous guard." I reminded both of them back.

"Young Bella here has proven that she can outwit the both of you." Jasper said suddenly from the back seat. "I think she'll make a delightful vampire."

"Delightful, indeed." Edward said thoughtfully.

"Do they know about me?" I asked of the vampires that would soon be arriving. Aside from the Cullen's and Eleazar, there were only a handful of vampires that knew of me living within the Volturi. And even those few believed that I was just another human who worked for the Volturi.

"They do not. The invitation that the Cullen's received was different from the general population. For the Cullen's we mentioned it as being a birthday party for you. Everyone else was simply informed of the mandatory masquerade ball and open court." I was speaking with Aro alone in my room. We were sitting on my bed, my final resting place if you will.

"And what about everyone else? They know not to come in here right?" I was mainly concerned about Edward coming in while I was under. I didn't want him, or anyone for that matter to see me in pain.

"Felix, Jane and Demetri are on guard outside your door. Alice and her companion have been moved to a different room. No one but I or Caius and Marcus will be allowed in."

Aro continued to look intently at me, almost making me uncomfortable. "Are you ready?" He said with a smile that only upped my nerves.

I nodded, taking huge amounts of air into my lungs in anticipation. That last gulps of breathe that I would need. It's funny how something so automatic as breathing is taken for granted until you know just how your breaths are limited.

"I'm going to bite you in the same spot your mother bit you. That way, the venom will heal the scar tissue and your skin will be flawless. Just as you will soon be." Reflexively , I grabbed for my right hand where the scar was. It was always a few degrees cooler, a reminder to always be careful around vampires.

"Am I going to turn out like her?" Referring to Gillina, my mother. Every time I thought of her, I struggled to remember her as a human. My lasting thoughts of her was as a bloodthirsty newborn who tried to kill me. Had it not been for Uncle Marcus' quick thinking, she would have succeeded.

"No mia cara. We'll take precautions; Demetri will go hunting with you before you come down to the ball. Then after you've hunted and changed into your gown, Demetri will escort you where you will meet our company." Aro explained which oddly comforted me to a degree.

I kissed Aro on the cheek, I had no other questions to stall any longer. There were so many events that led up to this point, and I tried reviewing everyone of them to see if I had made a mistake somewhere. I'd always wanted to die human, despite the company I kept. It wasn't until I fell in love with Edward that I'd even reconsidered the notion. And when he left, Felix picked up the pieces and put me in a position where I had to choose. And I still needed to make that choice.

I laid down, closed my eyes, not wanting to see Aro bite into me, and held my arm up so he wouldn't need to touch me either.

It felt like a pinch at first.

But

The

Pain

Was

Soon

Unbearable.

It spread from my right hand and quickly flowed through the length of my arm and spread out to the rest of my body. It was an annoying heating pain that would not go away. I prayed for to be knocked unconscious, death, anything that would allow me to feel anything but this pain.

My teeth were clenched together, I was determined that I wasn't going to scream out. It would only add to the torture of Edward, and Felix. I flinched every time I felt the venom increasing the temperature in my body. There was no threshold of pain that could tolerate this. All I wanted to do was run and find some water to douse the searing pain. But there was no taste for that.

"She hasn't made a sound. Did you give her enough venom?" Caius sneered to Aro, who was somewhere in my room."

"Don't be silly dear Caius. Bella will be magnificent. I hear some of the guests are arriving now."

"Yes, those that are here now are waiting in the turret room for dinner. Heidi should be back any moment, perhaps we should go join them? Caius asked but I didn't hear a response.

There was a still silence, I was again alone in the room. I could hear the ticks of the grandfather clock in my room and began counting the seconds. It was a boring task, but it helped keep my mind from the burning. But sixty one thousand and two hundred ticks later, and I was bored again. I quickly computed the math and seventeen hours had gone by. And even now all I heard was the stupid clock.

"Demetri?" Aro's voice sounded. I hadn't even paid attention to when he entered the room. "Please watch over Bella now. It sounds as if her heart is about to give out soon, and she will be complete. Go hunting with her quickly and return here so that she can change. Then you may join the rest of us in the ballroom."

I tried listening to Aro's retreat and I realized that I could hear the music playing in the ballroom. But then suddenly, something else caught my attention. My heart started fluttering, beating insanely fast. It was running a race that I hoped that it would win. It felt like it was chasing the pain as it started to recede, starting from my fingertips. But as the fire began burning again, I realized that it was moving centrally towards my heart. My heart was racing the pain, but it couldn't move fast enough. The fire overtook my heart and I could feel it giving up. That's exactly how Aro had put it; only he said 'give out.' I knew what he meant now.

I opened my eyes a few seconds after my heart had stopped. The light that came in from my window seemed magnified, not in brightness, but in color. There seemed to be a whole color spectrum that I'd never seen before. I could see specks of dust flying through the air as I looked around in amazement.

I instinctively swallowed and I wished I hadn't. My throat started burning, thirsty, very very thirsty. My hands were around my throat instantly, faster than they'd ever moved before.

"Bella?" I sat up in my bed at once, very aware of my surroundings. Demetri's voice had an angelic ring to it, and I wanted to hear more. But I was distracted by his looks and immediately forgot about how he sounded. He was a gorgeous creature. I crawled over the bed to get a closer look at him, and once he was close enough, I reached out and felt his smooth and hardened face. Only it wasn't hard to me anymore. Or cold.

"Are you ready to hunt?" He asked with his gentle voice.

I nodded my head and looked out the window. I only registered a fleeting glance at my gown that hung in the closet.

"Alright let's go." I followed Demetri out the window and we took off running.


	30. Chapter 28: It's Time

"Is it really necessary for my name to be announced? Couldn't we just like walk in and mingle?" I asked Demetri while I was changing into my gown. It was an exquisite royal blue floor length gown that bunched on the side, pulled together by a diamond crusted butterfly. The dress was gorgeous but the shoes were dreadful. I suppose on someone who was used to stiletto heels they were phenomenal, but to me they looked like a death trap. But I guess since technically I was dead, there wasn't anything to worry about.

I came out of the ridiculously huge closet dressed. I pulled my hair up in a simple up do, I knew Heidi and Alice would be upset if I did absolutely nothing to my hair.

"How do I look?" I asked needlessly. As soon as he saw  
me, Demetri took a sharp intake of breath and just continued staring at me.

"Is that for me?" I asked of the box in Demetri's hand, and internally groaned.

"Yeah. It's from Aro." He opened the box to show a beautiful necklace that had a diamond the size of a small child's fist. "It's one of the baubles he's had lying around for centuries." Demetri took the necklace and clasped it around my neck.

"Now I'd say you're ready to be presented to the world." His lips curled into a smile and I couldn't help but return it with a smile of my own.

We ran to the grand ballroom hand in hand. Just as the run in my forest, it felt odd to run, something I avoided doing while I was but a clumsy human. But now, I loved pushing  
my legs faster against the ground. The feeling was so exhilarating.

Of course once I remembered what we were running towards I began to slow down. Unfortunately, when I came to a stop, we were already there.

"Oh my goodness, Bella, you look fabulous!" Gianna exclaimed. I walked over to her and gave her a hug, though she was a bit hesitant since I was a newborn.

"It's okay G. I already hunted and I'm not thirsty." I smiled at her in reassurance, careful not to show too much teeth. I was pleased that she hugged me with both arms.

"So are you ready?" She asked me but she already knew the answer. "Here is your mask." She handed me a blue mask that covered my eyes only that was glued to a black stick.

"Ok. Seriously, what's the point of a masquerade ball if everyone is being announced?"

"I do not know. Ask your uncle that." Gianna smiled before turning around to someone who stood behind the door. I heard her whisper me and Demetri's name, presumably to whoever was going to announce us.

I needlessly took a very deep breath, expecting the movement to calm my nerves. Was I the only vampire that for nervous? Suddenly, I heard the words I was dreading to hear since the moment I learned of this ball.

"Presenting Isabella Marie Swan, Princess of the Volturi Guard, being escorted by Demetrius Antonio Gallo, member of the Volturi Guard." I growled silently at my announcement since Aro promised I wouldn't be called the princess. I searched the ballroom until my eyes rested on the three thrones that were brought over from the turret room. And of course my uncles were sitting proudly watching my entrance. I found myself in a position where I was deeply mad at Aro, if only for a brief moment.

I oddly felt at peace that I was gliding, walking down steps no less; as graceful as everyone else seemed to be. I held the mask close to my face, since everyone had their masks on. At the bottom of the steps, Felix stood waiting for me. Despite his mask, I could tell it was him by his posture and his hair. I gave him a smile but my eyes detracted to Edward, who had made his way through the crowd.

Both men I loved, but I could only be with one. I had to choose one. I thought about staying in Demetri's arms for the night, but that would be cowardly. The next idea was no better, I could walk right in between them, practically ignoring their presence and taking my supposed place next to Aro. No, a decision needed to be made.

"Only you could get yourself in such a predicament." Demetri breathed in a way I wondered if I was the only one that heard him. He bit back a booming laugh that I knew he couldn't wait to get out. I knew how each would react if I chose the other for the dance. Which was why my decision was made.

I held out my hand for him to take, "Edward, would you dance with me please?" Felix's eyes dimmed with disappointment. I place a reassuring hand on his face before Edward stepped forward to claim his prize. I was glad that no one seemed to be paying attention to the three of us; outside of those who knew of the tension. Edward swirled me away to the middle of the floor and turned me around in circles.

"I have to admit, I wasn't sure that you'd choose me." He flashed my favorite crooked smile and for an instant I was amazed that I was still dazzled by that very smile. "I'm a little disappointed though." Edward's face twisted and pinched together.

"Disappointed?" I asked curiously. That was the last thing I expected to hear from Edward.

"Well, I had almost hoped that once you had changed, I would be able to hear your thoughts." Edward only half pouted.

That only reminded me what Alice told me about my gifts, and I decided to try it.

'_**That's because I'm a shield and as Eleazar put it, a sword. I can penetrate people's minds with my thoughts.' **_I thought directly towards him.

"What was that?" Edward was completely astonished.

'_**Edward please, I need you to be quiet. You can't let on to Aro that you know just yet. Not until you actually hear it from someone's thoughts. It's for your safety of course. But yes it appears that I am a rare vampire that has two gifts. Which was why my uncle was so eager to have me back. I was scared that he would do anything he thought was necessary to make sure that happened. That's why I had to come back. Do you understand?' **_Edward gave a silent nod and I continued, knowing what was about to come next. _**'Which is why I have to do this,' **_I thought to him.

"Edward I need you to understand, I loved you the moment that I met you. Maybe even before then." I closed my eyes, fighting back non-existent tears at the foggy memory of my dream of the meadow that Edward brought me to. "But when you left, a piece of me died that day and Felix was there to put me back together. And over time I've come to realize that I want to be with Felix. I love him." **'I'm sorry,'** I added though it probably didn't do any good. Edward had already run away from me.

"You really mean it?" Felix said from behind me.

"I love you Felix, but please don't start talking about marriage anytime soon. I won't be able to handle that much excitement in one night."

For about four hours, Felix never released me from his arms, nor did I want to. Between the dancing and mingling with the guests, making nice for when they would be needed, we were always touching. I found it to be a strange sensation to let go of him myself.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to hunt again." I really just wanted to find Alice and I hoped that she was still able to steal away to my room as we had planned.

"But you haven't seen your uncles yet. I' sure they are dying to see you up close for themselves." Felix reminded me. I looked back at the three statues that were seated on their thrones. I looked throughout the immediate area, but did not see the wives. I would have loved to see my aunts as well.

"Of course. How could I be so silly to have neglected them for so long." I gave Felix a kiss before walking towards my uncles.

"Ahhh, look at our Bella! I knew that she would be magnificent. See how she stands before us?" Aro said to Caius and Marcus when I stopped in front of them. "Are you pleased with the results Bella?"

"Well I'd rather if I was still human, but under the circumstances, I guess I am. I don't trip over my own feet anymore so that's always a plus." I had to admit that I was being truthful about my take on immortality. I could see so many things that my human eyes weren't capable of. My ears, hands, legs, everything was a hundred times better. It was the little things that I missed like my heartbeat, tears, even blushing, as embarrassing as it was sometimes, were all things that I missed.

Demetri came up suddenly behind Aro and spoke exceptionally low and fast that if I was a human I would have found the words incomprehensible. But in actuality, Demetri whispered to Aro that, "the South African and the Australian covens are the only ones that seemed to have defected. I tracked them to Austria which was the last known location of…" Uncle Aro raised his hand to shut him up but I already knew of who he was referring to. The Romanians.

"And how was your first meal?" I could hear the disdain in Uncle Caius' voice, and it made me smile a little. I took his question to mean that I wasn't supposed to know what was transpiring and he really only meant it to come as a distraction.

"My first meal was…different. I devoured two deer. A buck and a doe. It'll take some getting used to, but it is a diet, that I will stick with." I added so that they would know that they would do well not to try to convince me otherwise.

Aro and Marcus simply nodded but Caius rolled his eyes.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to find Alice." I started to turn away, but Aro was suddenly standing in front of me.

"Oh no please entertain me for just one moment." As pleasantly polite and calm his voice was, I knew that this wasn't a request. He held out his hand and I grasped it all the same. There was nothing for me to be worried about because I knew what my gifts were, though I had yet to spread my shield out to anyone but me, but the shield around me would not falter.

"Such a shame. I had hoped that your mind would open up to me once your change had occurred. But such is not the case. I wonder what secrets you hold in that pretty little head of yours." Aro said with a dubious smile. I knew I was stronger than him, and surprisingly I seemed to have exceptional control around humans. The bloodlust that I witnessed with my "mother" was a wasted memory. Whatever game Aro had planned for me, I could take.

"Uncle Aro," I said sweetly with a smile that I felt reach ear to ear. "Even you must know that I girl likes to keep her secrets private."

'_**Now if you'll excuse me. I must take a brief leave.' **_I thought to all three of my uncles.

"Wonderful! You've discovered your gift. And so soon!" Aro was extremely giddy, and I wondered if I should have kept my knowledge a secret from them. Several of my uncles' guests turned their attention towards us, but their eyes only lingered briefly. One look from Aro and they returned back to their dancing.

"Yes I have. And if you'll excuse me, I need to see Alice. I want to check up on the damage I've done to Edward."

"Of course, of course. Bella, if I may be allowed to speak, I am happy that you were wise enough to choose Felix. He is a wonderful mate for you. I have matched you two well. Though, it is sad that Edward was not your choice. He would have made a nice addition to the guard. It must be exhilarating to know the thoughts of others without a physical limitation." Aro was staring off past me, as if looking for Edward, even though he saw Edward run out of the room. He held up his hands at the idea, finally letting my hand go. But I knew what he was really wishing for was for Edward to have a place in the guard. Maybe even Alice and Jasper; the "talented" members of the Cullen family.

"I am happy with Felix as well." I paused to give a kiss on the cheeks of my uncles before finally running off to my room to find Alice.

"Bella!" Alice exclaimed when I entered the bedroom. "You look amazing! I knew you would of course." I smiled at her enthusiasm.

"Where's Jasper?" I asked when I noticed she was alone.

"I didn't want to attract too much attention with our absence. He's still out there with Carlisle and everyone else. Um, Bella I have to ask, you choosing Felix over my brother, is that part of your plan or is it real?"

"Alice, I hope that we can still be friends after all of this is done. But my feelings for Felix are real." I looked down at the floor shamefully. Not only had I hurt Edward and now Alice. How didn't I calculate Alice's feelings in my choice?

"Bella, don't be sad. My brother was never one to listen to everyone else when it came to leaving you. And as much as I would have loved having you as a sister, Edward needs to deal with the consequences. Argh! He's such a dolt! He really messed this one up." I gave Alice a hug, a long one where I didn't want to let her go. "I wish you an eternity of happiness." She whispered in my ear, and I whispered my thanks in hers.

"Alice? Do you know anything about the South African or the Australian covens? Demetri mentioned that they were the only ones who didn't show up today and that he tracked them to Austria."

"Austria? But that's where the Romanians were last when they disappeared. Bella?"

"I know, that means wolves are involved somehow. I just hope it's not our wolves." I knew that I could count on Jacob's pack remaining in Forks, but it was Eric's pack that I was concerned with. We left on good terms when I let him and his brothers escape before the Volturi could imprison them again.

"Bella, I don't know when they're planning on showing up if the wolves are involved." She looked at me, upset that she was missing something crucial. It wasn't in Alice's nature to feel blind and helpless, and that feeling alone made Alice feel guilty.

"It's okay Alice. My family will manage. I'll just have to tell Aro that the Romanians are planning something. Though he may already know." I said remembering he had Demetri tracking them in the first place. There was a light rapping at the door, and I turned back to Alice.

"Just find out about those covens." I whispered in a hushed tone as the door opened.

In the door frame stood Alec and Jane. Jane was the first to open her mouth.

"It is time."

**A/N: Sadly guys, this is the end of posting when I'm complete with a chapter. :( I'm going back to posting once a week because life has gotten way to hectic right now. And who knows maybe if my life ever calms down, I'll have a stockpile of chapters that I'll be sitting on again and I'll be able to start posting on a regular basis. You prob noticed that the chapters were coming a bit more sporadic lately, and that's the reason why. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the story, and somewhere below there is a green button that let's you review the story. Go ahead, don't be afraid to use it!! lol. Love you guys.**

**Jshai**


	31. Chapter 29: The Uninvited

**A/N: So yes in so many words Bella chose Felix. I can't wait to see how their relationship will blossom!! I knew Edward fans are quite disappointed with me, in fact someone, after reading 28 chapters finally said my story sucked. I guess it's true I can't please everyone. Anyways, to the few people who are left to see how the story pans out here's the latest concoction! Enjoy!**

I followed closely behind my two cloaked escorts, Jane and Alec, as we walked briskly toward the turret room. There were a group of humans that were in the waiting area just to the side of Gianna's desk. They too were dressed in formalwear as if they were there for the gala as well.

"Why are they here? Aro assured me that dinner wouldn't be served tonight." I pressured one of them to tell me in a voice that was too fast and low for anyone but the vampires to hear.

Alec let off a lighthearted chuckle as Jane growled. "You'd do well not to mention that Bella. Our Janie here is a mad because she's feeling a bit parched. She was unable to make it to dinner earlier. These are the human guests that have been exposed and the vampires responsible, as well as them will be on trial."

Jane handed me a black robe from a closet that was outside of Gianna's office.

I gave one last look at the humans that clamored together, exchanging stories of their vampires. They looked around nervously, knowing that the day's events were far from over. What they didn't know was what their fate would be. And while I didn't know it either, I knew that I would be deciding on it very soon.

For some odd reason, I'd often daydreamed that my entrance to my first court would include music, and since I was introduced as the princess, it seemed like a natural conclusion. However, once we'd entered the threshold, there was no music to be played as it died once the masquerade ended. Everyone in attendance still wore their evening wear, as did the guard, though we were wearing our hooded robes. I was glad my dress wasn't poofy, the seriousness that came with the robe would have been lost.

I took my place to Uncle Aro's right, standing next to Renata who had his left. Two shields, one physical and one mental, Aro really knew what he was doing. Although I had no clue what I was doing. I knew that I was supposedly able to extend my shield but I had no idea how.

"My friends, this is indeed a joyous occasion, as Isabella has agreed to join the guard as a judge. She joins my brothers and I, along with Renata. The five of us now will begin the proceedings. First on the agenda are there any grievances against a member of our kind?" Aro started things off.

One by one there were a few vampires that were called to witness against each other. Petty differences really, over territories and hunting grounds. Pathetic if you will.

I found myself bored with the mundane problems of the vampires that I decided to have fun.

'_**Honestly Uncle Marcus, how can you stand to listen to this all the time? These aren't vampires, they're babies.'**_ I thought incredulously to my uncle without glancing back at him.

The startled chortle from Marcus interrupted the current witness from his account. An irritated Aro looked up to me, almost as if he knew I had something to do with it. I hid my lips in an attempt to appear innocent but I knew that very action only gave me away.

The proceedings continued smoothly after that. I was quite pleased that so far I hadn't needed to commit anyone to death. Of course, I'd only jinxed myself into believing that this would be an easy adventure.

"Now, if there are no other quarrels, we'll be moving onto offences of our existence. These offences as you should well know, deal with those who have sins against our kind. Brother, please call the offender forward."

I turned to Caius expectantly, but something happened as he began to open his mouth. I saw and felt my uncles stiffen in their seats. Their eyes were fixated on someone in the audience. I followed their gaze and there were two vampires that were staring back at them almost as intently. They were odd creatures, their skin was even more translucent than my uncles. They seemed ridiculously fragile but there was something about how they carried themselves that would prove me that I may be wrong.

"Oh the Volturi are playing lawmen now. Look brother how they sit on their thrones, I do believe we've interrupted." The one said, more like sneered to his counterpart.

"Yes I see it Stefan, how quaint."

"Stefan, Vladimir. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?" Aro exclaimed, though I could see the smile on his face was plastered there for show.

'_**The Romanians.'**_ I thought needlessly to my uncle who only slightly nodded for me to know I was correct.

"We have a grievance that we should bring to your attention, O' Mighty Ruler." Stefan bowed in a ridiculous manner towards my uncle.

I looked for Alice who looked scared and shook her head at me without me needing to ask the question.

'_**I need you to flank off and find the wolves that entered with them. There are werewolves in the castle somewhere.'**_ I thought to Jane, Demetri, Felix and Alec. Alice not being able to see that the Romanians had decided to come here tonight only confirmed that they were protecting the Romanians. And unfortunately I was convinced that it was Eric and his pack. They were the only ones who would know that their involvement would confound Alice and Demetri.

'_**Demetri, be on the lookout for the Australian and the South African covens. They may be here as well.'**_ The four deadliest vampires I knew flitted out of the turret room with a furious speed.

"And what shall this grievance be then?"

"Actually, as you eloquently put it before, it's more of an offence to our existence. We call against the Cullen's." Without meaning to I crouched in to a defensive and protective stance, but I also felt something quite strange.

I felt an explosion that started from my head and ventured throughout the entire room. I looked around to see if anyone had noticed but it didn't appear so.

"What do you want with the Cullen's?" I asked the two horrifying creatures before me. "They've committed no sins against our kind." A growl escaped my lips in a way I wasn't even sure it came from me at first.

"Aro, you'd be wise to keep your guard dog at bay. She's part of the reason why we're prepared to bring up charges."

"Watch who you're calling a dog." _**'And speaking of dogs, where are yours? Barking at the moon I suppose.' **_ I sneered to Stefan, who was only astonished that he had heard me. He looked to Vladimir who was only waiting for the exchange to continue.

"So you know?" He stepped forward, closer to the thrones.

"How many do you have with you? They're a brute force, the wolves. But there are ways-" Caius interrupted me.

"The wolves? You brought the wolves with you? We should have dealt with them when they defected!" Caius stood up and stepped down from his throne. Most of everyone in the crowd looked stunned and confused as to what was going on. The Cullen's made their way to the forefront to see their accusers.

"How many?" I repeated again. My patience was running thin, and when I saw the Cullen's there was another surge of rage that went through me. And I knew what it was at that point. My shield. I internally groaned as I fumbled with getting a feel for my shield.

"There's four." Edward spoke up from the back as he made his way to stand beside his family. Vladimir hissed at Edward for betraying their secret. "Josef." I'd thought that Edward had run off, away from me. And normally the sight of him would have made me smile, but the fact that his family was being threatened was my main focus. I quickly told my four assassins that there were only four

"Everyone calm down. We are a civilized bunch Vladimir and Stefan, so I'd appreciate it if you would act like it." Aro looked around as the restless murmurs calmed down from the spectators. "Bella, there are our guests, though uninvited, they are still our guests; and they've requested an audience." I relaxed from my defensive stance but refused to move back to my place behind Aro's chair. There on the steps I considered playing with my shield to figure it out.

Aro waved his hand to the intruders to continue.

"Indeed. I contest that the Cullen's told the Swan girl of the existence of vampires while she was under their care."

"That's a lie!" Emmett yelled before anyone had a chance to continue.

I hissed in his direction, whatever the Romanians had up their sleeve did not need to be made worse by any outburst from the Cullen's.

"Bella told us how it happened. She informed them that she previously knew of our kind."

"And while that may be true, though recent events may suggest she lied about that too. However, the law states that regardless of how exposure occurred, the vampires responsible would have to either kill or turn the human. There was no intent of either on behalf of the Cullen's." Stefan concluded.

"That's preposterous." I said looking back at my uncle, but he seemed thoughtful. "You can't be seriously considering this Uncle Aro."

"I'm sorry Bella, but he makes a valid argument. And I will remind you that you are a member of the council. We will hear the case, and you will return to your position." Aro said sternly to me. I knew what I had to do, and I returned to my post at his throne. I allowed myself one look at the Cullen's and my dead heart wrenched seeing Esme in pain.

"Carlisle, will you and your coven step forward." Aro commanded. "You have been brought on trial for leaving a human with knowledge of our existence without the intent of biting or killing her. Do you understand the charges?"

Carlisle nodded his head solemnly. I considered contacting Demetri or Jane to ask about the status, but there was no way they could answer me back. But then my eyes caught onto Edward's.

'_**Edward, can you hear what's going on with Demetri, Jane, Alec, and Felix? I sent them to find the wolves.' **_Edward's eyes visibly widened at the shock of my gift but then his head tilted to the side. I watched him intently until he nodded obscurely towards me. _**'Have any of the wolves been killed?' **_

"Now the proceedings are to determine whether or not there was intent of killing Isabella. Stefan, Vladimir you may bring your first witness.

I tried imagining what the Romanians could possibly gain by holding a trial against the Cullen's. Their agenda was always to regain rule over the entire vampire race, so what did the Cullen's have to do with that? And then it hit me.

If the Romanians could prove that there was no intent of carrying the law out by the Cullen's they could possibly argue that the Volturi ruled based on emotions and favorites. It was no secret that Carlisle and Aro were friends' millennia ago, and Aro himself said I was like his daughter. To anyone who was here as a witness to the masquerade ball, they would see the Volturi guilty of nepotism. And while it's not a crime against vampires, the ruthless vampires in the room might see it as a weakness.

"We call Edward." Edward stepped away from his family and held up his head.

Aro held his hand, awaiting for Edward to grab it. I immediately became worried because that one touch would also show my involvement in helping the wolves escape.

"Actually Aro, we have a more public way of getting to the truth if you don't mind. I wouldn't want you to edit what you've gleamed from someone's thoughts. Almasi?

A beautiful chocolate skinned girl stepped from the crowd and to the forefront. Her eyes were blood red and her hair was braided in an intricate design that flowed to her calves.

"Almasi's from the South African coven and her gift is similar to your witch. Only she actually causes the pain that her victims are feeling. A very effective form of torture. Shall we begin?" I looked at my uncle incredulously as he waved Vladimir to continue.

Edward braced himself for whatever pain Almasi was about to inflict on him. Poor, sweet Esme's face was too tortured to look upon her son face a punishment that we all knew was not his to bear.

Almasi grabbed a hold of Edward's arm and she looked similar to Jane in the likes of smiling as she inflicted her pain. Only nothing was happening. Edward stayed standing, unmoving against any pain, and I knew that whatever I was doing, my shield was holding around him. I felt for the other corners of my shield and imagined it around the Cullen's and the guard. I was tempted to put everyone under it but I had no clue who stood with the Romanians.

"Well? Get on with it!" Aro challenged to both Vladimir and Almasi. A stunned Vladimir looked to Almasi in anger and struck her down to the ground.

'_**Did you forget to get a demonstration of her gifts before you brought her here? Where are the wolves?' **_ I purposely asked Stefan about the wolves.

"There's one waiting in the dungeon, another in the east wing, the third is in the staircase in the west wing. And their leader, Josef is mingling with the humans by Gianna." Edward said amusingly. I wanted to ask him what was so funny, but instead I relayed the message to Felix and Demetri since Jane and Alec had only just returned but upon hearing Edward's words, they quickly made a dash for Gianna's office. It only took them a few seconds to walk back through the door; Alec first then Josef and lastly Jane. Jane was enjoying every minute of it because every few seconds, she'd give Josef a jolt of pain.

"It's the dog in human clothing." I sneered, the disdain in my voice was very clear.

'_**I risked everything and everyone I loved to keep you and your brothers free and you repay me by coming here to attack my home?' **_ I looked directly at Josef, knowing that the mixture of my blood and the animal blood that I drank earlier would give my eyes an orange tint. I could only hope that it looked like fire was dancing in my eyes.

"Where are the others?" Caius asked without taking his eyes off of Josef. The huge man stood with his head down, and remained motionless. That is until Demetri spoke up when he and Felix entered the room from the side entrance.

"They're dead. He's the last one left." Demetri's booming voice resonated throughout the hall.

'_**How could you?' **_I continued asking my silent questions.

"I'm sorry Bella. I've failed as a leader, and as a result, they are dead because of me.

"Your hand." Aro simply said as he stood in front of Josef immediately. I braced myself for the wrath that I and the Cullen's would face once Aro saw all of Josef's thoughts, including the night he saw us bring his two brothers "back from the dead."

Aro stood motionless for the few seconds he read Josef's thoughts.

"I will say no blood, no foul." Aro said suddenly before releasing Josef's hand.

A stunned audience and guard looked at Aro as if he had been swapped by aliens. The two ancient vampires looked at each other warily but strangely cunning at the same time; like they knew they won, but couldn't decide at what cost.

Alice's eyes were glazed over in a vision, but I could tell by the way her brow was wrinkled that she still couldn't see what the outcome was going to be after this weird standoff.

"Jane." Like a cat, Jane jumped onto Josef, separating his head from his body in a tenth of a second. "I have not grown soft in my time!" Aro's movements had brought him face to face with Stefan and Vladimir. Poor Renata seemed to be having trouble keeping up with him for the first time ever.

Again I looked at Alice and I could see her smiling as she began dancing through the crowd, stopping behind a group of four vampires.

"Excuse me Aro, my sister has found the others that were working with the Romanians." I allowed myself to offer Edward a smile of gratitude but he quickly looked away from me. It was as if my heart was breaking all over again.

"I'll deal with them in a moment." Aro said, but Caius was on back on his feet. Aro nodded to Alec who's mist slowly made its way to the four vampires.

"The Australians? You were in this as well?" He asked in pure curiosity.

"We never forgave you for the death of our sister, her mate and their child. You may as well have killed us that day also." The one male of the group spoke up.

"That can still be arranged." Aro smirked as he turned his attention back to the Romanians. "I fear my hospitality has run out and I'm no longer inclined to entertain you accusations."

The two vampires started to make a run for it but Vladimir suddenly dropped down in pain. His brother paused mistakenly to see what happened, but when he turned back around to leave Vladimir, Stefan was face to face with Aro.

Aro's right hand raised to palm Stefan's face at the chin, and I could see he was exerting some pressure to his face. "Did you foolishly think that I would allow you to waltz in here and take what was mine?" Aro's hand continued to squeeze on the dead man's face with ease. I could see particles of his skin flake off as if they were crumbling sand from an old building. "However you think our rule is, there is no denying that the Romanians would have bled the earth dry with their chaos and gluttony long ago." I knew his words were no longer directed towards Vladimir or Stefan, but to the entire congregation.

Suddenly, as if bored with the situation, Aro finished the task of popping Stefan's head off and commanded someone to light a fire. He stood in amazement as a vampire created one out of thin air.

"Hmm, what is your name son?" Aro asked in awe.

"Benjamin. I'm from Egypt, along with Amun." Benjamin said proudly but his creator, Amun, stepped out in front of Benjamin.

"He is of no concern of yours Aro. Finish this so that we may return to our lands. We want no quarrel with the Volturi and your judgments have been fair this day." Aro nodded as to say, "very well," to Amun with a devilish smile and walked away thoughtfully. I knew there was no way that Benjamin would escape Aro's radar. A vampire that could manipulate the elements, Aro probably found it just as fascinating as what I could do.

"Jane?" Aro said when he turned his attention back to Vladimir who was still writhing in pain. I watched my sadistic cousin as she snapped out of catatonic state of afflicting pain on someone.

"Give me one reason why I should show mercy and kill you as quick as your pathetic brother." Aro challenged.

"Enough. Just do it already." Vladimir spit out.

"Amun and Vladimir are correct. Felix, take him to the dungeon. I will decide on his fate at a later time. Jane, follow him to make sure he doesn't give Felix any problems. And as for the three Australians and South African left, Alec un-paralyze them. I want them to feel every bit of pain as they are shredded and burned." The mist rapidly retreated back to Alec

Aro walked back to his throne and his eyes never left mine.

'_**How bad is it?'**_ I asked him, knowing he saw the Cullen's and I letting the wolves escape recapture.

But instead of addressing me, Aro turned his back on me.

It was going to be bad.

**A/N: I know two in one chapter, sorry. I'm actually hoping that this chapter doesn't seem rushed because I actually rewrote it several times, and to be honest, I'm still not entirely happy with the way it turned out. But anyways, I found a really great story that I enjoyed a whole bunch, It Will As If I'd Never Existed by pattyrose. The story id is 5241468. I think you'll enjoy it!! But review this story first!!!**


	32. Chapter 30: Promise

**A/N: Sorry, but I needed to repost this, someone pointed out that it cut off. And where it cutoff was unintentional. There isn't much left to the chapter, you didn't really miss much. Just scroll down to where you last read. Again sorry, and thanks to _starchild23 and kelley77_ for bringing it to my attention!!**

Chapter 30

"I plan to get to the bottom of this." Aro reamed behind closed quarters after dismissing everyone. Thankfully, he didn't let on to his guests that there was more to be going on once they left. He saved that humiliation for those who knew better, both of my families; The Volturi and the Cullen's.

'_**Leave them out of it. They had no idea of what was going on until that night.'**_ I warned Aro. Though I knew he only needed to read Carlisle or Alice's minds.

"Are you lying to me Bella? Is that what the Romanians meant that this wasn't the first lie you've told me?"

'_**Can you blame me uncle? You know good and well I hate the idea of loss of life. No one should be held prisoner from their family.' **_ I decided to carry on the mental argument with Aro to the dismay of Emmett and Uncle Caius. I resisted the smirking at the similar expressions of frustration that they shared. But I knew if I could win Uncle Aro over on my own without any influence of my uncle the Cullen's would have a chance of getting out of this unscathed. To myself, I wasn't sure what would happen

"And that wasn't your decision to make!" Aro came back at me.

'_**And I take full responsibility because Eric, Garrick and I built up a friendship and I knew how miserable they were here. I did what I did for them because they were putting their lives on the line for me. For a fight they had absolutely nothing to do with. Can't you understand uncle, that it was only right that I do the same thing for them?' **_I knelt down on my knees in front of Aro as a sign of submission and humility. I'd seen him any given time of executing vampires after they've bowed down to him in a similar fashion.

"And you want to take full responsibility? Knowing exactly what that means?" Aro held up his hand and placed it on my head, in the same spot that his hand was on Stefan's face only an hour earlier. I could hear Edward's feet shuffle forward to get to me, and my heart broke.

'_**Edward, don't. Jasper and Emmett, please stop him.' **_ I said without turning around. I was sacrificing myself and there was no way I could face any of them. Esme, Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice. And especially Edward. _**'Edward please, I can't bear to look at your face right now. I want my last memory of you to be smiling.' **_

"It doesn't happen often, but as my niece I'll grant you a last request." I looked up at Aro in surprise. There was more to his words than what anyone in the room would know besides my uncles. It wasn't that the gesture didn't happen often, it was the first time a request was offered.

'_**Pardon the Cullen's of everything against them tonight. Completely, so that they are free to leave right now without any repercussions from you and the guard. All I want is for them to be safe.' **_

"Bella stop! You don't need to do this. Don't do it!" Edward screamed behind me and it was then that I realized that Edward was the only one who heard the two-sided conversation through Aro's mind. Now my heart felt completely broken. I had hoped there would be some way to tell Edward how I really felt but the arrival of the wolves put a dent in the original plan. It wasn't supposed to end like this. And now I was going to die with Edward thinking I choose Felix over him.

"Demetri, Felix? Please escort the Cullen's to gather their belongings. Their presence is no longer required or warranted. They are to leave the premises immediately." Aro ordered and the company me complied. I still refused to acknowledge them by looking at them, I didn't want to see them leaving me even though that was the only thing that would keep them safe.

'_**Please take care of Charlie, and each other. I love all of you. Please remember that. I've always loved you.' **_I thought as I heard them being pushed and pulled out of the empty antechamber. _**'I love you.'**_

I closed my eyes and --

* * *

My family was distraught that Bella elected to stay behind for our family. But in reality, distraught wasn't even the word to describe us. More like devastated. Whether she choose my son or not, Bella would always be a part of the family. And now she no longer existed. I worried what kind of spiral this would send Edward in. He took leaving her especially hard and intended to kill himself when he thought she died. Now that we knew definitely that she was to be executed. How would he handle it?

"No, Edward. Please don't ask me to look. I couldn't bear it." I heard Alice say. I sighed imagining the pain that Edward was going through to even consider asking Alice such a request.

Alice curled up into her husband's arms as we were escorted into a couple of Escalades that were leading us back to the airport. I comforted Esme in my own arms, her tearless sobs pained my lifeless heart. Even when we boarded the empty plane, I continued to worry about Edward's well-being and his state of mind.

"Carlisle, I won't do anything rash. I promise." Edward answered my thoughts but I couldn't help but still worry. When it came to Bella, Edward was prone to over-analyze everything.

'_It'll tear Esme apart of you leave again,' _was my single thought for Edward. Losing Bella was one thing, but if she had to go through Edward's absence again, I wouldn't know what could even comfort her.

Edward nodded solemnly in agreement with my thought process.

There had to be some way to keep my family together, but there was nothing I could think of.

The entire flight home, everyone retreated to their thoughts. And from the looks of things Edward allowed everyone the decorum of privacy. We all dreaded the return home because Bella should have been returning with us if everything went as planned.

It was only three days before we left for Volterra that Alice bounded into my office with a letter that was addressed to us. I instantly recognized Bella's handwriting and was immediately curious why Alice came straight to me.

"She meant it for you and me Carlisle. There's a separate letter for everyone, but I think we should read this first before they get back from their hunt." I nodded once as Alice slipped the slip of paper from the envelope and began reading.

_Carlisle and Alice,_

_Everything is fine here in Volterra, and when you guys arrive I will fill you in on all of the pleasantries. But this letter has a purpose and I have a short amount of time to get this to you. The two of you have been the only ones that I've come to with my plans, and each time I have to warn you of the danger that I'm putting you through. I'm not even sure that with the price of immortality will I have enough time to thank you for everything that you've done._

_Alice, I need you to focus on the Romanians, any decisions they plan on making, and the such. They are up to something that is potentially damaging to the Volturi. I may not always agree with their methods, but from what I hear of the Romanians, if they ever regain control over the vampire population, ruin would be the only course of action that would be in the future. Knowing their decisions ahead of time will definitely help in thwarting their plans._

_Carlisle, I will need you mostly on an emotional level. At the masquerade I'm going to tell Edward that Felix is my choice. I will need my uncles, especially Aro to believe that my loyalties are with the guard. Uncle Aro knows what my gifts are and I'm afraid that if I choose Edward, he will find a way to have Edward join the guard. Breaking up the Cullen family is not something I could ever be responsible for. Could you imagine what would happen if Aro got his hands on someone who could project their thoughts, and someone else who could read thoughts; both without physical contact? No, he can't have both of us, and I need you to be there for Edward. _

_Someday I hope to return to your family and I will keep in touch, even throughout my tenure with the guard. I feel awful that much of my time with you has been in shadowed in deceit. From the moment I met each of you and to this exact moment when I'm asking you to risk everything. _

_I love you and your family, and everything that your family values. Upholding those values is the main reason I feel I need to do this. I can't wait for all of you to arrive._

_Love always and soon for eternity,_

_Isabella Marie DiMarco Swan_

Although the letter was vague and skimpy on details of this plan of Bella's, but it still left hope that Bella would be joining our family again. Of course, Alice didn't help with her automatic enthusiasm, she made it seem as if Bella was coming home with us. It was a bad assumption on my part, but for Edward's sake I'd hoped that it was true.

"Jasper? When we touchdown in Seattle, I'll need you to get on the phone with your contact and make the necessary arrangements for Charlie to be taken care of. Of course, it'll need to be discreet so that no one could say the chief took a bribe or anything like that. It was a request from Bella, her last one and I intend to make sure that he is well off. And do the same for Renee." I whispered only because I didn't want to disturb the serene air in the cabin.

What went wrong?

How could I fix things? But the truth of the matter, there was nothing to do or fix. Both Edward and Alice saw that Aro planned for Bella's death the second the doors were closed on us. My family was in despair, and I couldn't tell what would happen in order for us to move on. Would that even be possible?

"Can I see everyone in the dining room?" Edward's broken and shaky voice broke me out of my reverie once again, and we followed him into the loosely used room. Everyone seemed to reluctantly follow; likely everyone wanted to mourn for Bella in their own way. But out of respect for the love that Edward had for Bella, we made our way to the table.

"The entire way home, everyone expressed their concern for me and how I would handle Bel- this. And I also got a mindful of how I reacted to the last time I thought Bella was dead. I want to just promise you I won't, or try not to behave as I have in the past. But I need time for myself away from Forks."

"I know son, we'll be moving to Syracuse. Will you be joining us?" I asked him.

"I'll do the move with everyone, but I'll leave as soon as you're settled in."

Esme opened her mouth and then shut it, but I didn't have to wait long to know what she was going to say.

"No, I won't be long, and I won't visit the Volturi again. I'll be back in time for school."

"Edward," Alice spoke up for the first time since we left Italy. "Don't go to Charlie's. It'll only end badly for you." I watched as my son pinched the bridge of his nose as he watched Alice's vision.

"No I have to. I just want to smell her again." I placed my hand on his shoulder, it was plain to see that Edward was putting on a strong face for us. But I hated that he felt the need to torture himself.

"I'll be okay. I promise." I closed my eyes and nodded once.

"We'll start packing. Jasper, you'll take care of those items?"

"Yes." Jasper said and Edward was out of the door.


	33. Chapter 31: Conversations with the Dead

We prolonged our departure from Forks for as long as possible. Partly because we didn't want to leave rainy Forks, but mainly because of Edward. As soon as we were settled at Syracuse, Edward would be taking off on his travels. And watching Edward leave was not something any of us were willing to rush.

But nonetheless, today marked my last shift at the hospital, after giving them a month's notice that I would be leaving. The hospital tried in vain, to keep me here but understood that I wanted to be near my kids as they all choose to attend college on the East Coast.

"Hi Dr. Cullen. I'm really going to miss you." A cooing voice called out to me and I realized that it was one of the nurses, Mindy.

"Oh hello Mindy. Yes, my wife and I will miss Forks as well." I turned my back to her as I continued walking to my office. The nurses often attempted to tempt me but to their dismay, I always replied with mention of my family. I wouldn't be held responsible for misleading any of them.

Once I was in the recluse of my office, I sat in the leather chair behind my desk and sighed an unwarranted breath. There was still much to do, as my office was still unpacked. The furniture at the house was packed, at least the pieces that we were bringing with us. Esme, Alice, and Jasper left early this morning to set up the new location. My family agreed that we wanted to stay as long as possible so Edward and Alice were to be freshman instead of doing college. Likewise the others were planning on starting their sophomore years.

I walked over to the far wall of my office and looked at my degrees. Pretty soon, I'd need to have new ones made up. The box that sat on my desk was waiting to be filled with my belongings and it was just about time for my shift to be over anyways. I guess there was no better time to start. Within two minutes, the box was full of my personal effects. The office was completely bare of my presence, and all that was left to do was walk out of the room.

I grabbed my box and walked over to the door.

"Dr. Cullen? I'm sorry to do this, but Drs. Bernathy and Haird are both in surgeries, and I can't find Dr. Vasel. Would you be able to handle the emergency that's about to pull up?" Mindy asked all expectation of flirting were out of her eyes.

"Yes, of course. What is the emergency?"

"The paramedics called in a cardiac arrest. I don't know the vitals yet, but ETA is one minute." We hurried to the ambulance bay and calmly waited for the paramedics to bring in the patient. In the near distance, I could hear the sirens of the fast approaching vehicle and felt the familiar rush that I had one last try to help another human resume their life here in Forks.

"Caucasian male age forty-four. Blood pressure is…" Brad, a paramedic I was familiar with rolled the gurney onto the street and began prattling on about the man's vitals while another continued chest compressions. But I didn't hear anything. My world stopped when I saw Charlie laying on the gurney with his eyes closed. I could faintly hear an unsteady heartbeat and it was steadily fading.

"No Charlie! He's going to V-Fib, charge the paddles!" As soon as the words were out of my mouth I cringed, there was no heart monitor hooked up to Charlie yet so as a human I shouldn't have been able to hear him going into V-Fib. But there was no time to worry about the implications. I was not going to let Charlie die. Though she was no longer alive, Bella's legacy deserved this much.

"Doctor, the ambulance bay is not the best place for…"

"Mindy, this is the Chief of Police, and he's too unstable to move. Now charge those paddles and give me some room!" I yelled at her with a ferocity that made me feel guilty. But like before I didn't want to dwell on it. Charlie was going to live dammit.

"Clear!" I listened as the electricity flowed through Charlie's body to the heart. His heart returned to normal sinus rhythm and I had a moment of relief. "Continue chest compressions and let's move to Exam Room 3." We towed the gurney through the hallway and Mindy began hooking up the right machinery to Charlie for monitoring. His heart was slow, but normal.

"I want an EKG to check for any damage done to the heart. I'll monitor his recovery and administer his medications."

"Doctor Cullen, that's a nurse's job." Mindy felt the need to remind me of such a trivial detail.

"He is my friend. I'll wait with him tell he recovers." I sternly replied.

I didn't need to wait long for the aides to admit Charlie to a room, I think his status as being the Chief of Police helped him get the attention he needed at a faster pace. After about sixty minutes, his test results were soon due, and the medicine was working through its course. Now all that was needed was for Charlie to wake up.

"Doctor Cullen, you have a phone call. It sounds like one of your sons." One of the nurses, one I didn't recognize whispered gently to me from the door. I took one last look at Charlie before leaving the room.

"Thank you." I waited until she left me before walking to the phone at the nurse's station.

"Doctor Cullen, how can I help you?"

"Carlisle. I thought you were coming home? Why are you still there?" Edward's voice wasn't one of panic, more anxious. He knew our reasons for wanting to stay in Forks longer, and yet he kept his promise of staying until we were settled in Syracuse. It was a selfish move on our part, because if he continued to keep his promise, he'd be back in time for school; and by delaying our time frame to get settled only delayed our trip. We owed him much more credit, but by nature vampires are selfish creatures.

"I know, but something came up as I was leaving. It was Charlie. He suffered a heart attack. He'll be okay, he may have to take it easy for a while. But with the money that we set aside for him, he'll be more than okay. I'll be home as soon as he wakes up." There really much left for us to speak of so we hung up quick. I sighed at the thought of how close me and Edward were, but with Bella's death, Edward was more withdrawn than I'd ever seen him before. I prayed to God that He'd give me a clue as to how Edward could recover. But even I knew there would be no recovery from Bella. She was more than an extended family member, she was an extraordinary glue that brought my family together in ways that I wouldn't have imagined before. And now that she was gone, did that make our family a farce?

I walked back to the chair that I considered my station by Charlie's bedside, expecting him to be asleep still. But I was glad to see that was not the case when I returned.

"Charlie, I see you're awake." I nodded in his direction as he tried to sit up. "Easy, easy Chief. You're still recovering from a heart attack. It wasn't a major one, but you will need to change your diet."

I resisted the urge to laugh as Charlie hrmphed at the mention of a diet.

"Well Carlisle, it's been different since Bella left." I closed my eyes as I reluctantly thought of her again. "You know I was on the phone with her earlier today. She called me this morning, asked about her friends. And of course your family."

A shiver went through me for a second, before coming to a realization. Of course the Volturi would have someone impersonate a phone call to Charlie from time to time, to keep him from getting suspicious of a worsen fate.

"And what did you tell her. It's been ages since we've spoken to her. How's she taken to Italy?" It pained me to play along, but I had to for Charlie's sake, he'd just suffered a heart attack and I refused to be the one to tell him that his daughter was dead. Or that the person he was speaking with was in fact a vampire that may have the ability to sound like her.

"She asked about Alice. Something about who her doll was? I don't know what that means, but Carlisle I gotta tell you. I think the world of Alice, but don'tcha think she's a bit old for dolls?" I snickered a little bit at his comment. If Charlie only knew how old Alice truly was, he'd probably have another heart attack. Of course she asked about the rest of the family. Except Edward. Now that I think of it, it kind if sounded like she was avoiding talking about your son. Did he hurt her again?" There was a fierce need to protect his only daughter in Charlie's eyes. It was very endearing to know how much he loved Bella. It was just a reminder to me that I failed him and her.

"No, I can assure you they're both in pain. Edward was accepted into the same school as Bella, so they called it a mutual split. They are both feeling the pain of a love lost." Only Edward was alive to bear it.

Charlie eyed me suspiciously and I wished that Edward was there so I could know what he was thinking. Finally, after a few moments of apprehensive silence, Charlie opened his mouth once again.

"Oh she did mention a letter that she sent you. She said sorry that she won't be able to keep her promise? What promise is that, may I ask?"

"She promised to keep in touch with my family." I answered sullenly. As far as I knew, no one knew about that letter. Had he really talked to Bella? And if he did, why was she still alive? Granted, I was ecstatic that there was a possibility that she was alive, but why didn't she contact us. There were so many questions swirling in my head that I was relieved when I felt my phone vibrating.

"Excuse me Charlie, I need to take this. But I'll be right back." Charlie nodded at me as I held up a finger to indicate one minute. I stealthily walked out of his room and answered the phone in the hallway.

"Alice."

"Carlisle! I saw her! You were right she is alive!"


	34. Chapter 32: Coming Together

I was a little daunted with the revelation that Bella was still alive. There were so many questions swirling through our minds; the main one being, why hasn't she contacted us in all this time?

The only thing that was clear to both me and I, however, was Edward was not to know about Bella just yet. The position I found myself in was strange; I alone had to block my mind from Edward. With Alice miles away, I was jealous of my youngest daughter.

I mulled over my options, even by taking separate cars, Edward would  
still be able to read my mind if he followed close enough.

Dr. Abernathy's office was near and I ducked in quickly after hearing that no one was in there. I found a new medical journal on his desk and read it cover to cover, committing new procedures and theories to my memory. Once I was done, I checked back in on Charlie who had fallen back asleep.

"Carlisle!" I heard Emmett's voice call out from the parking lot when I walked out of the hospital for the last time this century. Edward was sitting in his Volvo, awaiting the drive.

"Where's Rose?" I asked.

"She wanted a quick hunt she should be back any minute." Emmett answered back. I risked a quick glimpse of Edward, his nose was pinched which only told me that he'd realized that I was blocking him from something.

"What's wrong Carlisle?" Edward asked me, he was rather unaccustomed to me blocking my mind. Other than the stunt I'd helped Bella pull over the summer, my mind is generally open for Edward.

"I'm just worried about Charlie. I'm confident that the others will take care of him but it's just that he's the only link that's left of Bella." I opened my mind allowing Edward to see Charlie lying in the bed. I was careful to keep my mind from thinking of our conversation before returning to the medical journals I had memorized.

"I'll follow you Edward, that way, I'll just slow down if you think a cop is ahead." Edward nodded as we sat in our respective cars waiting for Rose. And once she hopped in the backseat of Edward's car we drove.

It took us several hours to get to Illinois, approximately four hours, before I drew back from Edward's tail. It only took him twenty seconds to call me on my phone. "Is something wrong Carlisle?"

"No, I'm just a bit hungry. You go on ahead and I'll catch up."

"What about cops?" I heard Emmett call out from the backseat.

"I'll just call Alice before I start up again. Go!" I assured them and watched them drive off. I pulled the car over on the side of the road, with no intentions of hunting. I just needed to put some distance between me and Edward.

I pulled out my phone and called the only one who could give me some answers.

"Hello?" I heard on the other end and sighed.

"Excuse me sirs, you have a phone call." Gianna's voice called out from the doors. She didn't dare come in during dinner so she only slightly opened the door and whispered the words to me. It didn't matter; I could still smell her scent wafting through the air, simply mouthwatering. She'd make a wonderful meal someday. There was only one person that would miss her.

"Take a message," I urged her. Disruptions during dinner were greatly frowned upon.

"It's Carlisle. He says it's urgent." I looked back at Bella who stood strong at the thrones, even at Carlisle's name. Not a single flinch. I was amazed that Chelsea's gift worked on her. Marcus confirmed that her loyalties were with the guard and more importantly with me.

"My brothers and I will take the call Gianna in my office. Please let him know we won't keep him waiting long." I answered and it didn't take long for Marcus and Caius to finish their meals before they followed me to my office, as did Renata and Bella.

"Renata, Bella. You won't be needed. Bella if you wish, you may go hunt in the backyard, we don't have a session until Jane and Alec come back with our guest." both girls nodded and turned away as we continued to the suite.

"Dear Carlisle! How nice of you to phone us. How is your coven?"

"My family is doing fine," Carlisle corrected me. "I however do have a question for you."

"And quite hopefully we have an answer for you. Please ask your question." I encouraged.

"Is Bella alive?" a small smile escaped my lips before I composed my thoughts. I suppose I knew that Bella's continued existence would be discovered soon enough by the Cullen's. I'd expect nothing less from such a gifted family.

"I take it your daughter witch saw her alive, of you will? Interesting gift young Alice has. I suppose she would not want to come join the guard. She'd make a lovely addition, do you not agree?"

"Is that a yes?" Carlisle asked from the other end of the connection.

"No, I guess she would not join us. Maybe she would consider working with us on a temporary basis. Only a short period of time would be necessary. Run it by her, I would hate to take by force." I sucked my teeth, effectively to convey that I was unashamed at the underlying threat.

"Aro, I'd hate to think that you are threatening my family for what? More power? If I'm correct and Bella is alive, your entire guard is protected by two shields, mental and physical. You are already the single largest coven on this whole planet. What purpose would it to gain a physic?"

"Old friend, consider the threat removed. Forgive me. Yes, you are correct in assuming darling Bella is alive. She is a cherished member of the guard. Have I answered your question in its entirety?"

"I have but one more. Why hasn't she contacted us? Surely she knew we thought she was dead." The protests came, his voice rose slightly with accusations, however empty.

"Yes Bella knew of your beliefs and yet she did not care. She chose to stay in Volterra than join your pathetic family. A clean break was what she said she needed from your family. And that is you included. Any more questions?"

"No. But old friend," I could hear the contempt in his voice. "Could you pass a message to her? Let her know her father suffered mild heart attack a few hours ago. But he should be fine."

There was a soft click and we realized at the same time that Carlisle hung up on us.

"I believe it's time, Aro."

I clapped my hands excitedly while the smile spread ear to ear.

"Yes I agree. It is time to collect."

I pressed the red button that sat beneath the phone. "Gianna dear, please page Demetri, Bella, Chelsea, and Felix. Have them come to my office." I didn't even wait for Gianna to confirm that she had her orders. I was too giddy with the thought of my prize.

Within seconds the four vampires were in my office awaiting their orders. With the exception of Chelsea, the other three plus Jane and Alec were my favorite enforcers.

"You have new orders. When Jane arrives, you will fill her in and immediately set out on this mission. Do you understand?"

All four nodded and waited for me to continue.

"It has come to my attention that the gifts of the Cullen's are far too great and must be separated. Edward, Alice, Jasper, and Emmett are to report here as soon as you have them."

"And if there is resistance from the others?" Demetri asked.

"it would be prudent if they are unharmed. But if you must, kill them." Caius spoke up before I had the chance to.

"Forgive me uncle, I understand the others, but why Emmett? He only provides force to the Cullen's. No outstanding gifts. And nothing against Chelsea, but she's not a member for the field."

I looked at Bella sternly. "It would be wise not to question me. Chelsea will be going to help bring the Cullen's in. Emmett's brute will fit in nicely with Felix. Are there any more questions?" Bella shook her head shamefully, as she should. She knew better.

"I think I'll tag along Aro." no one could hide the shock of Marcus taking an interest in a mission; including myself. "Don't look at me like that. No matter how you look at it, no matter how much Chelsea uses her gift; there is the very real possibility that Bella will be affected by this mission. I am the only one here that is best suited to help her emotionally."

I held my hand out for Marcus but quickly decided he was right. Neither myself nor Caius dealt with emotions well. We generally left that to Marcus and Chelsea.

"Very well. Call when you touch down. "

"Alice will see this coming." Bella spoke up.

"Let her see. My decision to kill all of them gifted or not has also been made if they attempt to run. She'll see that too. I hope it doesn't come to that." I concluded.

The small team that was put together nodded quickly and prepared to leave the castle, only Marcus and Caius stayed behind.

"Are you sure you can handle this Marcus?" Caius asked once we were all alone.

"I will be fine. It's Bella that I'm more concerned with."

"Do you really think there will be a backlash with Bella heading up the team?" I asked Marcus in all seriousness.

"It is something that causes concern. Time will tell when we touchdown in the states. I'll keep you posted throughout."

Marcus left the office, leaving me and Caius alone. It was the first time our little trio was separated.

"Come Caius we have session." I said and we walked towards the turret room. Soon I'd have every possible gift in my possession.

"It's all coming together!"


	35. Chapter 33: Stripped From Heaven

**Bella's POV**

The young girl that was handling the paperwork for our transportation from the airport kept looking at us anxiously. But then again who could blame her, dealing with any of the ancients is a bit unnerving; what with their fragile looking skin. But unfortunately, no one from the guard looked old enough to rent a car. She also seemed to fancy Demetri which I found to be amusing. It was a good thing that Heidi wasn't along for the ride, she and Demetri had an on again-off again relationship, and currently they were on.

"Alright, here are the keys to your two vehicles. If you have any problems just call me here at the office, my name is Amber." Amber flashed a smile, extra cheesy to Demetri who seemed to eat it up. I playfully punched him in his arm and rolled my eyes.

"You know Heidi is going to bite you when she hears of that." I casually reminded him.

"How is Heidi going to find out about the human?" I raised an eyebrow at him and it took him half a second to catch on. "Oh come on Bells! You wouldn't!" Demetri raised his arms in protest and started to attack me with a hug. But thankfully, Felix swooped in to save me.

"D, leave my girl alone. Everyone needs to focus now anyway."

"Exactly. Demetri, Bella and I will follow you in the second truck. The rest of you will be with Demetri." Marcus commanded us. I immediately changed my disposition, and remained solemn as Marcus handed me the keys. "Demetri, lead the way to the Cullen residence. I want to get this done quickly and return back to Volterra." There was nothing odd in the request for Marcus to want to be alone with me. Everyone knew that Marcus was the one uncle I'd trusted throughout my assimilation to the guard. Some said he was my favorite, and maybe they were right. My relationship with Aro and Caius changed, at least for me and I wasn't even sure if they had noticed. It was doubtful.

I handed my carrying case for my compound bow and my arrows to Felix and watched him place the bag in the trunk of his SUV. I climbed into the SUV that was rented for us and waited for Marcus to get in as well, and before I knew it we were going a hundred and forty miles to Upstate New York.

'_**He wants us to kill them. Doesn't he?' **_I looked over to Marcus and he simply nodded his head. _**'You know I can't allow that to happen.' **_ Marcus nodded again and turned his attention back to the car in front of us, and I continued to contemplate what was going to happen. _**'Do you think the Cullen's will come peacefully?'**_

"You know them better than I do, Bella. But if they don't, the only way that you can assure that the rest of the Cullen's remain alive, _is_ to convince the others that it's the only way. Though Alice has probably already seen it, there's a chance that they will choose death versus being split apart." I gave consideration to Marcus' words. Would it even be possible to convince them otherwise?

Aside from Emmett, the Cullen's had no defensive abilities. In contrast, the group that I escorted had Jane, Felix, and Demetri, all skillful fighters and in their case offensive gifts. Though Jasper was gifted enough to calm them down, I would definitely need to count him as an ally. But an ally for what? War? Was I pitting myself in between my two families, if the Cullen's even considered me family still? Once I chose to keep myself hidden from them, I effectively alienated them and aligned myself with the enemy.

It was times like this that I was thankful for Marcus. Everyone assumed that I drew closer to him because he chose to be the comforter that they thought I'd need. All at once I practically lost my father and my place with the Cullen's. However, when it came to Charlie, I was able to speak to him on the phone, a small consolation from my uncles. But the real reason me and Marcus stuck together was because of Chelsea. Or rather, my ability to block Chelsea's gift and shield Marcus from it as well. I remembered the night he said a fog was lifted from his eyes and he saw Aro for what he truly was. I was sad when he told me the story of what happened to his wife, and I found it easy to hate Aro and Caius.

"You know Bella. I am proud of you through all of this." I turned to him, leaving my memories behind on a shelf in my mind somewhere. Marcus waved his hands in the air and I smiled at his rolled eyes. "You remained true to yourself even when your uncles tried pushing you towards our diet. And your head remained focused. But, your heart is another matter. I've noticed you've pushed Felix away."

I smiled through his praise and quickly frowned at the sour note he hit. "Uncle Marcus. I have known love. True love, and lost it. And Felix, while I do love him, it is nothing compared to what I once had. It would not be fair of me to hold his feelings hostage."

A smile of contentment grew on Marcus' face which only made me smile. He smiled so rarely. "You've grown into a remarkable young lady." I knew that if I was human, that would have been the opportune time for my blush to make an appearance.

"We're here." I whispered when I realized that we were slowing down. In true Cullen fashion, the house was secluded by tall trees. When I stepped out of the car, my mouth started to pool with venom as I smelled some Elk a few miles east. My throat burned with thirst and this definitely needed to be taken care of quickly so that I could hunt. I walked over to the trunk of Demetri's truck and opened the bag that Chelsea was in charge of and pulled my compound bow with piercing tipped arrows. It wasn't that I couldn't fight, it was the training that Aro instilled in me, even after my change, I fell in absolute love with archery and used it as my weapon of choice.

I took in the surroundings, a beautiful white house, very reminiscent of the Forks house, stood in front of us. There was a wide wrap-around wooden porch and garden with various flowers lining the foundation. It was very Esme.

Our eyes fell on the front door as it clicked open. I stood in still horror as I saw Alice and Esme emerge first, followed by Jasper. Their faces were blank, but I noticed it was just them that came out.

"Where is Carlisle and the others?" Jane asked breaking the silence that surrounded us.

"They're on their way. Only a few minutes actually. You may come inside if you wish." Alice offered and I squinted my eyes wondering if she had something up her sleeve. Jane made the first move towards the house and we followed. As I passed by Esme, I could see she was torn between hugging me and confusion. I'd hurt so many people.

"I guess I'll be the first to speak, though I'd rather wait for the others so I don't need to repeat it." I bit my bottom lip without hesitation before opening my mouth to continue. "But I hear them pulling into the driveway now, so they should hear me just fine." I paused for a brief moment, though I wasn't sure if I was doing because I was nervous or for simple dramatic effect. "I was sentenced to die, as you know. But Aro couldn't part with me nor my gifts and I chose to remain with the guard for several reasons. Besides the training that I was granted, I was extremely grateful for a second chance. Something I know firsthand does not happen often with the Volturi." I took a breath of air, though I didn't need it. I felt my nerves peak as I heard footsteps come up the steps that led to the front door. The air stirred, only a little, with his scent.

"What the hell?" Rosalie mumbled but even though she was still by the front door, everyone heard her perfectly.

I looked back at Rose briefly, but my sudden attention flew to Alice.

"You didn't tell them?"

"I didn't see anything good come from it." Alice was stern. I'd only heard that voice from Alice for when I refused to go shopping or play Dress-Up Bella with her. I was now deeply regretting Aro sending me on this mission, but I knew I was the one that was best suited for it. I spread the shield around my people and made sure that is was secure.

I nodded once at her comment and felt it was time to get this over with. I looked at Jane who stepped forward beside me.

"As a member of the guard, it is my duty to tell you that Edward, Alice, Jasper and Emmett are to report to Volterra. Your services have been required."

"And if we don't?" Jasper's southern drawl was always much more pronounced when he was stressed out.

"The entire family will be put to death." Alice was now in despair as I looked into her eyes when she came out of her vision.

"Why?" Edward finally spoke, but his eyes never left me. A sudden wave of hatred mixed with hurt overtook me and I knew that Jasper was projecting Edward's feelings at me. I looked at him, hoping he would cut it out but he only intensified it more. I swallowed the venom that was pooling in my mouth and turned back to Edward.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss the details of your employment with the Volturi." I replied coldly.

"No, why are you doing this? To your family?" Edward reiterated and stressed "your family." I shrugged it off along with the intense feelings from Jasper.

"My family, Edward, is the Volturi. Always have, and always will. I should hope you never confuse that in the future. And now that I believe everything has been said," I reached behind me and grabbed an arrow for the compound bow. "Your decision please."

"I'm not going. I refuse to leave Rose." Emmett whispers were of defeat.

"It's the whole package. If one refuses to come, all will be sentenced to death. The choice is yours." Marcus surprised everyone, including myself with his words. He typically didn't get involved in Aro's matters and speaking during them was practically unheard of.

"I'm not changing my mind. I choose death." Emmett repeated and the entire family that stood before us with their mates in an envious embrace.

"Then death it is." Jane's menacing smile signaled that she was about to incapacitate the Cullen's and out of the corner of my left eye, I could see Felix starting with his first steps gearing up to rush his strongest competitor, Emmett. I quickly spun around and clothes lined Felix, causing him to flip onto his back, and stepped one him. I pressed him hard into the carpet of the floor. With my right hand, I grabbed Demetri's thick neck and raised my bow, aiming at Jane.

'_**Chelsea, dear. You are not a fighter, nor do you posses a gift that makes you valuable in combat, especially against a newborn. So don't even try it.' **_

"What the hell!" Emmett yelled at the same time that Felix and Jane screamed "What are you doing Bella?"

I choose to ignore all of their questions for the moment. As if I had said something to them, none of the Italian vampires made a move; though the Cullen's were just as stunned.

'_**What should I do next?' **_I asked my uncle.

"It all depends on you. Do you want to see them dead? Knowing that if they are left alive, Aro's vengeance will be great." Marcus answered me with a small smile on his face. He knew that to anyone else, they would have no idea of what I asked of him.

'_**Demetri will be able to hunt us down if I left him alive.' **_

"That is true. But Isabella, what did I say to you in the ride over here?" I recalled the conversation in the truck over and knew what I was going to do. I smiled at the thought that Marcus would know that I would need to hear his words before we arrived here.

I loosened my grip and instep from Demetri and Felix respectively and slowly lowered my bow away from Jane's head. I stepped back, closer to the Cullen's but not fully joining them.

"What is this Bella?" Felix looked on, shock and horror filled his face as he put together where my allegiance was.

"This is me sending you home. I'm staying here. I lived among you for eighteen human years, and it wasn't until I met the Cullen's that I even felt I belonged in the supernatural world. I'm not going to let you destroy them." I surprisingly kept my voice even.

"Then we will kill you. Alongside your precious Cullen's." Jane growled and oddly the laughter that vomited out of my mouth couldn't be suppressed.

'_**You know good and well Aro wouldn't want to attack anyone under my protection. Don't forget little sister, I know how the Volturi operates, maybe even better than you. Precious Jane.'**_

Jane's composure faulted slightly, the only tell was the deadly smirk that she seemed to be famous for, fell ever so slightly.

"And how do you figure that?" Jane sneered.

'_**Dear one, I was allowed to sit in any and every meeting that the trifecta held. And I've always been very observant. Besides my uncles, there is only one other vampire that has sat in every meeting and that's Renata. And while the Volturi have a few millennia on my pathetic 18 years of total existence, but Caius was an excellent teacher of vampire history. So I know for a fact that the Volturi have not taken to a physical fight in quite some time. Your gifts are all mental, all of which I block.'**_

"No matter. Five against eight is still manageable." Jane replied, the sneer was still evident in her voice.

"Ahh, you better recount that Jane." Marcus spoke up yet again, nearly startling me. My semi-private conversation with Jane effectively seemed to block out everyone else in the room. Marcus glided his way to stand next to me in between the Cullen's and the Volturi. "Bella is still a newborn and is much faster and stronger than even Felix here. And I have pledged my loyalty to the Aro for the last time."

"Chelsea!" Demetri hissed towards the field inept vampire of the bunch.

"Oh don't blame her, Bella has been blocking her from my mind for quite some time now. I believe this will be where we part ways." I raised my bow and arrow and aimed it back at Jane. I could practically feel the shrill scream that must have been rising within Jane. Demetri and Felix had to practically drag the enraged vampire.

I stood in the same spot, not bothering to take my eyes from the area that my friend- no, my family once stood. The hatred behind Jane's eyes were unmistakable and inescapable. I, along with Marcus, were now enemies of the Volturi. The phantom tears taunted me from behind my eyes.

"Bella, thank you. And you too Marcus. We don't take your sacrifice lightly." Carlisle was the first to speak amongst the relief and exclamations of joy.

I offered him a pathetic smile and I was truly thankful that they did recognize what I just did.

"I can't believe you came through for us." Rosalie spoke up and it was suddenly clear the hurt I felt that she was surprised by that.

"Why wouldn't I? I gave my word to you that you'd be safe from the Volturi. I practically vanished so that you remain free. Something you and your family did set my uncle off and he suddenly felt he had the right to collect and kill. Why?" The proverbial venom seeped in my tone, with each word it felt like Jane's rage had rubbed off to me.

Sheepishly, Carlisle raised his hand. "Then it is my mistake. I called Volterra earlier this morning, when we left Washington. It was something I needed to know for myself." Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie whipped their heads around to look at Carlisle.

"You made a phone call. Perfect."

"Bella, there is something that you should know. The reason called was not only to confirm my suspicion, but also to let you know that Charlie suffered a heart attack last night. I stayed with him and he's fine. Resting up in the hospital." Carlisle rushed his words out.

I turned around quickly and I ran towards the door without a word.

"Bella wait!" Carlisle knocked me back by standing in front of me. "You can't go yet, you're eyes are still changing to its amber color. You look absolutely nothing like your human self."

"I'll tell him of the new foundation and contacts that's all the rage in Europe. Now back off." I growled in response.

"You just told the Volturi that you never felt a part of the supernatural world, even though you knew of it. How do you think Charlie would react to it without an inkling to what is truly out there? He may not be able to pinpoint what exactly is different about you but you can't take the risk that the Volturi will see that as a reason to kill him."

"Bella I think you should listen to him." Marcus came up behind me and placed his hand on my shoulder. A short intake of air, and I knew that Carlisle was right. I couldn't risk Charlie's life, not even to save him.

"And what, do absolutely nothing, or better yet go to school while my father recovers from a heart attack? I can't do that. I won' that"

"Maybe I can think of a reason to have him transferred to the hospital here. We'll figure something out."

"That's right Bella, we'll figure something out. And in the meantime, you and Marcus can stay here." Esme rubbed my shoulder to comfort me. But I didn't want to be comforted.

"I need to hunt. Where can I leave these?" I raised my hand indicating the bow.

"You can place them in my room." Edward appeared beside me in an instant, the hatred and rage behind his eyes were replaced with love and admiration. I handed him my weapon, and turned to the door without another word.

"When did she become a sudden bitch?" I heard Rosalie question when I was outside. I didn't even care to defend myself. If she wanted to proclaim me as one, then who am I to tell her otherwise?

Nobody.

**Marcus' POV**

"When did she become a sudden bitch?" Rosalie's voiced opinion struck a nerve with me. I have Bella all of her life, and never once did she act on a whim to be a "bitch." On the other hand, she always took a ridiculing from Heidi, and several other vampires for not taking the role of a "bitch" towards those that really should have deserved it. And in my opinion this was one of those occasions.

"Excuse me dear, I think that before you question Isabella's mood, you should consider her motives."

"What are you saying?" Rosalie opened her mouth again but I held my hand up to give her a moment to quiet down.

"It is a known fact amongst humans, that one may experience death for a short period of time, only to be brought back to life. Some have even stated that they were in heaven before reality was rushed before them. It's also documented that those who saw heaven, experienced depression at having true bliss only to be received back to earth. That may be what Bella is experiencing right now."

There was a great laugh from Emmett and Jasper, both gasping for the air they didn't need to continue laughing. I gave the both of them a cold stare, waiting for them to stop.

"You think Bella is depressed because she experienced heaven within the Volturi? Old man you're crazier than everyone thought." Emmett finally utter more than a laugh, though he chuckled as he spoke. "I never thought I'd hear the day when someone compared the Volturi to heaven!"

"On the contrary. I've had the pleasure of counseling Bella on more than one occasion, since she's been informed of the true existence of vampires. Granted, moreso since she's changed. In more ways than one, I think of Bella as my daughter, and rightfully so, she'd say I had more claim to her than Aro or Caius. Though she knows how to wrap them around her finger.

But even you've spent enough time with her to know that she'd consider anything, no matter how dangerous, if it meant that those she loved was safe. That one is quite the sacrificial lamb. She tolerated her time in Volterra even though she was beyond miserable, but because she felt it was a small price to pay for the safety of Charlie and each and every one of you, she suffered it.

And your one action of resuscitation, that one phone call, ripped Bella out of her own heaven. So when you call her a bitch, Rosalie, I don't think you even deserve her pity."

"I can assure you Marcus, we had no idea." Carlisle noted.

"I know dear friend. But nonetheless, it doesn't change anything." I suddenly realized someone was missing. Bella's compound bow and her arrows were on the couch, and there were only six other vampires in the room. "Where's Edward?"


	36. Chapter 34: Stood Up

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. I've been reading a ridiculous amount of books at the same time, and then the majority of the stories that I have on alert here, were all updated pretty much at the same time. Not to mention that lately I've been bored with writing (which I'm sure has effected my writing, well a few of you noticed). Then of course I had to read SM's novella for Bree, and I thought of a few stories that I'm kind of excited for, one of which I'm toying with the idea of continuing with this story. Ahh decisions, decisions. Where's Alice where you need her!**

The coolness of the air around me was refreshing. The calming effect by the river lapping the bank was almost immediate, who needed Jasper? I closed my eyes on the boulder that was shaped like a chaise, but unfortunately my thinking time was cut short. I smelled him.

"Edward, I—"

"Bella, let me speak first." Edward interrupted me. He held up his hands to tell me to wait. It suddenly occurred to me that he wasn't sure if I'd run away or attack him, and the way I was feeling I couldn't be sure either.

"Bella, I know why you did it. And from the bottom of my heart I want to thank you for everything you did for my family. The sacrifice was great and I know that you would have died for us if it came to that. But for the life of me, I can't believe for a second that you had absolutely no intention of contacting us. We loved and mourned for you and then all of a sudden you turn up with other vampires with the intent to kill us."

"If you knew me at all you would know that wasn't _my_ intent. Just be still." I flexed my hand, but then clamped it back shut. With way too much concentration, I found that I was able to project actual past thoughts that seemed to project as visions in others. It didn't always work while I was practicing with Santiago, but I was praying that it would now. I stepped closer to Edward and placed both of my hands on either side of his face. I took a relaxing breath and started with the only thing that I could think of.

Though the memory was a bit faded, it was the first moment I saw him, how I knew what it was. And then I moved to the moments I knew I was in love with him, meeting his family. I skipped over the parts that I knew would cause him pain, him leaving me, discovering me in Volterra, Felix. The next thing I showed him was the look of passion that he had when he first saw me after my change, but before I told him I chose Felix.

I showed him my thoughts of having never told him that I truly loved him before my execution. My conversations with Marcus after I was supposedly dead, all of my training and the various missions I was sent on. My final orders from my uncles, including my conversation with Marcus in the SUV to the house; I showed him all of it.

"I figured out a long time ago why my uncles sent me to Fork, it was only just a matter of convenience that my father actually lived there. I'm sure he would have found some other way to get me to Forks.

Aro has always wanted what Carlisle managed to do without fear: power. He'd probably heard of the family Carlisle had and used me to get the information. And you walked right into his hand when you wanted him to kill you. He saw the love you had for each and every one of them, but most importantly he saw which ones were valuable to him. Then he saw their gifts in action at my party. It took me 'til only now to realize that he never planned to kill me."

"But I left to protect you. I thought I was protecting you." Edward was pinching his nose again. And there was never any doubt in my mind that he thought he was doing what was right at the time. But what I couldn't understand was why he thought what I did was any different from when he left.

"I know Edward. But remember how you left me, how you took everyone that I connected with, your family, away from me? I simply did the same thing. I was protecting you, granted I think I did a much better job of it." I said with a smile, hopefully alleviating some of the tension between us.

Edward opened his mouth to retort, but quickly shut it. He did that several times, and each time I focused more and more on his perfect mouth. And yet somehow I missed the cue when he started kissing me.

Our lips ignited the electricity between us once again, fueling the need that we couldn't stop touching each other. I ran my fingers through his hair, a feeling that I never thought I would feel again. Such a simple gesture brought on a flood of emotions, that seemed would only cease when we did. Only we never wanted to end.

With neither of us needing air, we fell into each other's arms, our bodies seemed to know what we tried to fight; we belonged together. We found each other once again, moving as one, with one mind.

"Charlie." I whispered when our lips parted for what reason I'm not even sure.

"I'm sorry love. You're thinking of your father while we were doing that? I didn't think I was that rusty." Edward joked, his crooked smile was oh so enticing.

I hit him on the shoulder and started to walk towards the house. "No, Edward. I need to go back to Forks. I have to go protect him. I have to find out how I can at the very least bring him here. Carlisle seems to think that would be the best course of action anyway."

"Do you think we need to move so fast? I mean Alice saw Demetri and the rest of them returning to Italy."

"Edward I want to see my father. He had a heart attack, regardless of a threat from the Volturi, I have to see him."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Edward grabbed my hand and entwined his fingers with mine. His question threw me off for a second. Of course I wanted him to come with me. But there was no way I could think of to explain Edward's presence to Charlie.

"I would, but no. It's something I'll do on my own. Whether he knows it or not, Charlie will need my protection, and it's better if I'm there as soon as possible." Edward nodded solemnly, and it was almost like I could read his mind. Everything was finally good between us, and we were being separated yet again. One of these days of eternity, we needed some time to relax with each other.

We ran back, Edward only slightly behind me, to the manor. I was still very aware of the electricity that still buzzed between us even though we were no longer touching. I didn't want to even risk looking back at Edward for fear that I would want to kiss him as passionately as I had before. Instead I kept my eyes focused on the manor that was brightly lit.

"Marcus," I started when I walked into the house. "Will you be staying here or coming with me? I'm going to see about getting my father out of Forks." I briefly looked around the room and saw that Rosalie and Emmett were nowhere to be found. Esme and Alice both had sympathetic smiles on their faces. It created a sense of longing, but I needed to keep focused on Charlie.

"I think I will stay here my dear. Our Carlisle has been discussing the diet that all of you have chosen. I must admit I'd always been curious about it, especially when you took it up in Volterra. But to see the research that Carlisle has complied about the strengths of it Amazing!" Marcus held up a bunch of papers that I presumed came from one of the boxes that were laid out on the coffee table.

"Fascinating. Alice you'll call me if the Volturi decide to make a move?"

"Of course. Are you sure you don't want anyone to come with you though?" She looked briefly between me and Edward, but I quickly shook my head.

"No, this is something that I have to do on my own."

"Then you'll need this. Don't worry about returning it, I was thinking of getting a new one anyway." I smiled at the smirk on Jasper's face as he threw me some car keys. "It'll get you there pretty fast."

I stepped closer to Jasper and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He nodded to me and he knew there was so much thanks behind that little peck. "I'll show you to the garage." Edward lightly tugged on my arm to lead the way. I followed him, somewhere in the back of my mind told me that I would follow him wherever from now on.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked, flicking the light switch for the garage. From what little bit I remember from my human life, the car in the far right was Edward's Vanquish. His special car. There were a few other cars that I would never even know where to begin to identify them. I held out the key to Edward and his eyes bugged out for a split second.

"I don't think that's a good idea." He simply said. "Maybe you should take the Vanquish. Charlie will be able to ride back with you in it as well." His last statement piqued my curiosity.

'_**Why what car did Jasper give me?'**_

My favorite crooked grin crept up his smooth face, "You know, I don't think I'll ever get used to that."

"Hmm, well don't worry we'll have all of eternity for you to practice." The words came out of my mouth before I even thought about it. And judging by Edward's face, he was just as surprised I'd said something like that as I was. This was an excellent moment to illustrate how I did not miss blushing.

Edward, choosing to bypass the moment gratefully, moved to the middle of the room and seemingly found what he was looking for. He uncovered something and I flew to stand beside him.

"That! Jasper wants me to drive that all the way to Forks." I looked over the blue motorcycle that was before me. The side said Ducati, more Italian in my life. Great.

"I know. Ludacris." Edward thought he was agreeing with me.

"Awesome.'' I said with a smile, I couldn't believe the excitement of riding a motorcycle again. It was one of the things I'd learn with Santiago, and I'd taken to it extremely well.

"Bella be serious, you can't drive that."

"Edward, enough! I know it's impractical to take the bike, and I'm thankful for your offer of the Vanquish. But listen to me when I tell you that if anything is to work between us, you have to decide that you will no longer decide anything for me. I am not a breakable human anymore, and even if I was, I still have my own mind and would appreciate it if you started acting like it. Now hand me the keys to the Vanquish or else I'm taking the Ducati whether you like it or not." I heard a few cheers coming from the house and realized immediately that everyone heard me stand up for myself.

Sheepishly, Edward walked over to the wall where there were several hooks for the cars and pulled the one that would allow me to operate his car.

"You'll be careful?" He had asked after handing them over.

I gave him a quick peck on the lips, all was forgiven. "Yes. I'll call if I run into any trouble." I hopped in the car and pressed the little button that operated the garage door. Before it even had a chance to fully open, the car was on and I was out of the door. There was no one I needed more now other than Charlie.


	37. Chapter 35:Tribal Meeting

The drive to Forks was just about the most loneliest but painless trip I'd ever made in my life. As soon as I crossed over into the city limits of Forks, a series of murky memories flooded my mind. Some were pleasant, actually most were. And I laughed at all of the ones involving Mike and some of my friends from the school. God so much has happened since my first trip to Forks that it seemed an unbelievable journey.

Most of the colleges would have started their classes by now, so I knew there was no chance I'd run into any of my friends. This was probably for the best. I smiled as I thought of my original thoughts of Forks while driving to Charlie's house first; it was too green.

I listened inside the house and didn't hear anyone, so I took a quick look at the house I used to call home. I inhaled the scents that lingered, mainly Charlie's and various foods that he cooked. Mostly, eggs. This wasn't the first time that I'd smelled human food, especially with Gianna at the castle, but she didn't like eggs, and I found this smell to be truly revolting. I ran upstairs, hoping to escape the smell, and first went into my old bedroom. I had tidied up as I packed my things for my return trip to Italy, but it seemed that Charlie cleaned up a little more. The old computer that I never used was gone, along with the desk that it used to sit on. My rocking chair was still in the corner and I couldn't help but smile as I thought of the many times I'd wake up to find Edward sitting in that chair.

I'd spent a great deal of time in Charlie's room. I wanted to get his scent in my head. I knew there was never any way that I would even find my father appetizing, especially since all of the Volturi remarked at how well my self control was, but I didn't want to take any chances. At that thought, I decided it was time to visit Charlie, only after I hunted some of the local wildlife.

It didn't take me long to find a few deer to drain, and I was back in the Vanquish driving to the hospital in no time. It was only a little after ten in the morning when I parked in the hospital parking lot.

"Ahhh, Bella. It's been a while since I've seen you in the hospital. How are you doing today?" Dr. Gerandy asked me when I walked into the hospital.

"I'm doing fine doctor. I came to visit my father. Would you happen to know what room he's in?"

"Actually I just came from his room. He'll probably be released tomorrow. He's in 347."

"Thank you so much! Take care." I waved back to Dr. Gerandy and headed towards the elevator. I considered running up the stairs to the third floor, but I noticed there was a camera that was placed looking into the stairwell. I couldn't take the chance that there were cameras that were actually in the stairwell. Whatever my uncles were going to plan on doing with me, I had to make sure that everything now was completely by the book. Not that I ever had any problems with that in the past.

The elevator was excruciating slow, but I bid my time and walked silently to my father's room. Charlie was sleeping peacefully, so I sat in the ugly brown leather chair and picked up the closest magazine. I flipped through the same magazine about three times before Charlie's eyes started to flutter open.

"Daddy?"

"Well now, it's been a while since I heard that. What are you doing here Bella?" Charlie's voice was rough and suddenly I worried that he would detect that my voice was considerably different.

"I could ask you the same thing, dad." I offered him a small, warm smile. "I was actually thinking of moving back home. Well, sort of."

"That's crazy Bella! You got a scholarship to a school that you assured me was tough to get into. I won't allow it." He stopped berating me for all of two seconds before asking, "How do you sort of move back home?"

"First of all, Charlie, I got a scholarship to a number of other schools here in the U.S. I've already looked into it already and Syracuse University is willing to accept my late registration. And second of all, I am over the age of eighteen, and whether you allow it or not is not the issue." I raised my eyebrow so that he'd know I meant business.

"Did you do something to your eyes Bells?" Ok, maybe I shouldn't have brought his attention to my eyes. I forgot that my eyes would be a strange mixture of red and gold.

"They're contacts, I'd thought I'd give them a try. You know they have ones that make your eyes look like a cat's eye? Or even a snake? They're crazy hot over in Italy. But you're trying to distract me, and it won't work, mister." I held my breath unnoticeably from Charlie as he chewed on my words. A small sigh of relief was exhaled when his next question had absolutely nothing to do with my eyes.

"Well how is Syracuse closer to home? I mean I get that it's on the same continent, but you'd still need to hop a plane to see your old man."

"Charlie, that's why I really wanted to talk to you about. You see, I'd always wanted to go to university in Italy, I mean I lived there for seventeen years, ya know? It was practically expected. But what I never could expect, was how much I missed you while I was over there. And then to hear that you were in the hospital while I was gone, was extremely heart wrenching. Apart from you, I don't have any living relatives, at least none that I know of. I need you in my life daddy. I want you to move to New York at the very least for only four years. You'll love it out there. Syracuse is upstate, so it's pretty much like Forks, only on the other side of the country."

"Bella, that's crazy. What about my job? I can't just take off for four years. And besides, Billy's here, I can't leave him and the rest of my friends. If you're so serious about moving back to the states, move back home here."

"But dad -," I started but he abruptly interrupted me.

"Now Bella, that's final." I mentally cursed my father for being so stubborn. Of course I felt guilty as soon as I thought it.

"Alright dad. Maybe I'll look into community college out here. After all, the important thing is that you're taken care of." Even as the words came out of my mouth, I was contemplating the idea of being separated from the Cullen's. It wouldn't make sense for them to move back out this way. I could protect Charlie, maybe with the additional help of the wolves.

But that line of thinking was wrong also. It was leaving the Cullen's vulnerable to a mental attack from the Volturi. And I only just reunited with Edward, the thought of being away after our very brief encounter was almost unbearable.

"How about you get your rest." I said sweetly to him.

"Bells, I just woke up. I'm not tired in the least bit. You on the other hand, you must have travelled all night to get here so soon. You must be exhausted."

I rolled my eyes knowing I was going to have to play human even longer than I'd planned. I didn't want to leave his side though.

Faking a yawn, that I hoped that he couldn't tell was fake, I replied, "I am actually. Maybe I'll get some sleep now. Do you need anything?"

"No baby doll. If I need help with something I'll page a nurse, but I'm not paralyzed." Charlie retorted.

I pretended to curl up in the chair, closed my eyes and forced air out of my mouth. Why did Charlie have to be so stubborn. There was no way I could see Charlie leaving Forks willingly. Unless I told him absolutely everything, including of where I've really been since my mother left with me eighteen years ago. That was not an option.

And then an idea hit me. "You know what dad, I'm just gonna go back to the house. This chair isn't exactly the most comfortable thing for a nap." I walked over to his bed and gave him a kiss on his cheek. He was flipping through the channels on the t.v. and he looked as if I had startled him.

"I'll be back in the morning. Hopefully you'll be able to be released." He nodded his head and I turned to leave. Unfortunately, one quick glance out of the window showed the sun making a rare appearance over Forks. However, lucky for me, I remembered Carlisle's office had a window that was just a few yards from the woods. I'd never make it to the Vanquish, but it didn't matter. For where I was going, the first place I needed to stop was in the woods anyway.

I made my way to the doctor's offices on the east wing. I stood outside of Carlisle's former door, and since I didn't hear any heartbeats, I forced the doorknob to open. I was shocked though that there weren't any camera's situated on these offices. But I was lucky Forks was so trusting. I opened the window and jumped from the fourth floor with ease and made a quick dash for the cover of the trees.

I loved the run, it was nothing like when I had to run when I was human. This experience was completely different. This was exhilarating.

I kept running but even as I ran, I knew I was technically still on the Cullen's hunting territory I smelled the wolves too soon. I couldn't be near the line just this soon. Just as I stopped in my tracks, I heard the growls of the wolves.

"I'm not violating the treaty. I'm still on Cullen land. But I need to speak with Billy Black." I held up my hands in surrender, and noticed with my peripheral that I was surrounded by five wolves.

The chocolate wolf that stood before me turned and ran into a thicket of some trees. After a few seconds I heard the air move with the magic of a wolf phasing back into a human. And moments later, I was staring in Jacob's face.

"Jake!" I ran to him but he held up his hand that signaled me to stay at bay.

"You're a bloodsucker now." It wasn't a question.

"No. I'm Bella, and you're Jacob. Nothing's changed between us."

"Everything's changed between us. And your eyes aren't even the color of the Cullen's. Why should I trust you?" Jacob demanded forcefully.

"Because I'm still Bella, and I need an incredible favor from the entire tribe, but I need to speak with Billy first. It can only come from Billy."

I didn't move one iota as Jacob looked over everyone of the wolves that surrounded me. I couldn't figure out what he was doing since I knew he couldn't know what they were thinking while he was in human form. And like me, they didn't move either.

"Thirty minutes at borderline at the road; meet us there." Jacob turned and ran, with the wolves following behind him, I stood there for a moment, realizing how lucky I was that I had a relationship with Jacob, even if it was for Charlie's sake. That encounter could have gone either way.

I didn't want to waste any time and ran straight towards the road. I didn't have to wait too long because apparently the wolves decided they wanted to run recon around the impromptu meeting site before Jacob arrived with Billy. For the second time today, I found myself surrounded by wolves.

In exactly 360 seconds after I was flanked by approximately twelve wolves, more than double the previous time, Jacob rounded the corner, pushing Billy in his wheelchair. Billy tensed up visibly when he saw me and without meaning to, I felt guilty for even involving Billy or any of the wolves.

"Bella, I see you've changed. Not for the better I'm afraid. Jacob here tells me that you wanted to speak with me."

"Billy I can assure you that while at some point I did entertain the idea of becoming a vampire because of Edward, how you see me today was not my decision. I was changed by some very bad vampires, and they are the reason why I am here today begging for your help." I looked into Billy's deep brown eyes, trying to visibly cue him on the desperation I was feeling. And when he nodded his head, I continued:

"First I must tell you that before I was changed these bad vampires that I spoke of threatened to kill everyone in Forks if I did not go through the transformation peacefully. You knew me, I didn't see a choice. All this time, I've lived with them, learning and training. However now, that I've rebelled against them, I'm afraid they will retaliate and do something to Charlie. And that's where you come in. I need you to convince Charlie that he needs to move to the East Coast so that I can protect him."

"The tribe can protect your father. He can stay here with us-," Billy started.

"Billy you know good and well Charlie will not let you babysit him. The bad vampires that I speak of, the Volturi, are the governing body of the vampires. The three leaders, well, two now, have almost 60 vampires in their employ. I know Aro. He will be thorough and send an overkill of the guard to collect Charlie to use him against me. And while I appreciate your gesture to guard him, I can't allow the Volturi to come anywhere near Forks or your people. I can't do this alone, and the Cullen's can't come back. It would be too suspicious around town if they did." I hadn't planned on speaking so long, but the desperation needed to be heard. It was the only way I knew to convey the need to Billy.

"What exactly are you up against? How do you know so much about this Volturi, as you called them." Billy's eyes squinted at me as he leaned closer into his chair. I was a little shocked that Jacob never mentioned this fact to his father.

"The family that I lived with before coming here, is the Volturi. For all intent and purposes, I have been a member of the Volturi family since before I could remember. The leaders are my uncles and the members are my siblings. I was only recently officially inducted into the family though, as you can see."

Billy sat back into his chair and closed his eyes. With his hands folded together at his chest, he didn't make a sound. If it wasn't for his strong heart beating I would have wondered if he was alive.

After several minutes, Billy snapped out of whatever he was doing and finally spoke.

"Charlie is more than my best friend. He is my brother. He will always be a friend of the tribe, as will his daughter." My head snapped up at his final words. First I looked at him, trying to decipher if I heard him correctly. Billy gave a simple nod of his head and scanned the faces of the other wolves. All of them seemed just as surprised as me. "I will do what I can to convince Charlie to go with you."

I nodded my head back down to him. "Thank you Billy."

"Bella, could you indulge me a bit more?" I waited for him to continue and he took my silence as permission to do so. "I meant what I said about you and Charlie. When you see Doctor Cullen can you express the same to him and his family. They have worked in the past to preserve human life, treaty or no treaty. But we have been set in the old ways, and for that I am truly sorry." Billy's crinkly old eyes were wrinkled with the smile that he offered me.

"I will express your words to Carlisle. Thank you Billy and your tribe. I'm sure somewhere in the future The Cullens' will return. And the relinquished animosity between the two families will be appreciated on their part."

"Will you not be joining the Cullen's once whatever this is, is over? I thought you and Edward were a packaged deal."

I needlessly took a breath and released the air slowly. "I'm not sure yet. All I see right now is Charlie safe."

"We'll make it happen Bella."

I had enough of saying thanks to Billy for his kind words so I just turned and ran for the hospital.


	38. Chapter 36: Goodbye, For Now

**A/N: My apologies for the extreme lateness of this update. Three jobs have been a bit hectic lately and last week I lost someone dear to me, so writing was the last thing I was thinking of. Hopefully though I'll be more consistent with new chapters. Please review and let me know what you guys think! Love u all!**

Visiting hours were almost over, only another hour to go, and I was pretending to be asleep as a few of Charlie's friends paraded in and out. The hospital staff brought me some pillows and a blanket for the cot, and while I used these as my props, they were definitely not needed.

The last of his friends were gone, and I "awoke" just in time for one last visit.

"Knock, knock." A light rapping tapped the wooden door and I saw the front of Billy's wheelchair.

"Ahhh, come in old fool." Charlie's voice beamed with the smile that spread across his face. He waved in Billy and Jacob, who was pushing his father in.

"Old fool? You're the one sitting up in the hospital. I'm a walking free man." Billy roared with laughter at his friend, and Charlie chimed in along with him.

"I would ask you, 'to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit,' but I guess it is pretty obvious. Look," Charlie pointed to me. "Bella came home. She heard about my little episode I guess." Charlie gruffed at me, and I couldn't resist sticking my tongue out at him.

"Hey Bella. I feel as if it's been a long time, and at the same time only a few hours ago that I last seen you. How's school?"

"School is good. I passed all of my classes. But I'm thinking of moving back to the states. One school has already agreed to accept me, but it's back east. I would love to be a little bit closer to dad, but -," I started.

"But nothing. Nothing or no one should stop you from being closer to your dad. You just found him for Christ's sake." Billy threw his hands in the air in surrender. I forced myself to act surprised by his outburst when I really wanted to laugh.

"Well like I was saying, none of the colleges close to Forks are accepting late admissions. So it's either I go to community college or I drop out until the fall semester. But I'd really like to go to school in Upstate New York. But I want Charlie to come with me. I think the change would be good for him."

"Absolutely not." Charlie harrumphed his response, and one quick glance to my left saw that Jacob and Billy were having a hard time keeping from laughing as well. "Bella, that's insane. I will not leave Billy behind."

"Charlie, Charlie, don't stay because of me. I think it would be wise for you to go with Bella. For one, you've said it before, that Bella is just as stubborn as you. And I happen to believe that she is even more than you happen to be. If it meant proving a point to make sure you were safe, she'd drop out of school. I personally don't see what's wrong with a change in scenery to get well." Billy's voice took on an authorial tone that even I wouldn't want to defy.

I listened to Charlie's thudding heart as he debated on what to say next. I held my breath as he opened his mouth to speak against his dear friend, but Billy interrupted him.

"Ahh, you were thinking of retiring anyway, especially since that money came in from that contest you won. So if your only reason for staying is me, then heck. I'll move too. I've been dying to roll on out of the reservation for quite some time myself. And Jake should see more than the reservation. I mean look at Bella, she's already seen half the world by living in Italy. It's about time Jake caught up. Well sort of." I smiled as Billy's own grin grew bigger at the thought of moving cross country.

"No. Absolutely not. Jacob has school." Charlie countered.

"This Podunk town is not the only one with a high school, Charlie. If we move now, he won't even miss the beginning of the second half of school. Bella, you'll make all of the arrangements possible for us to begin our move. Me and Jacob will go home and pack." Billy figuratively put his foot down. He motioned his hand for Jacob to begin wheeling him out.

"Now wait a second." Charlie started.

"No, no more waiting. We are all moving to New York. It's not the city so don't start hyperventilating. It's Upstate, so I'm sure there will be some great fishing to be had over there. It will be for your own good Charlie, to get on that plane and embrace a little change. Bella." He nodded to me and threw in a wink. I smiled back to him graciously as he and Jacob left me alone with Charlie.

"I'm going to go home and pack some of your things and make a few calls." I whispered. "You should get some rest." I breezed over to his bedside and kissed him on the top of his head. "This will be a good thing. Trust me."

"I can't trust anyone in this world." Charlie mumbled, still dumbfounded at how he lost the battle that he was sure to win the war. My lips twitched into the beginnings of a smile before quickly fading. My poor father, was unbeknownst in the middle of a supernatural war; one that he could never find out about. Vampires, werewolves, he had to remain oblivious to the very things that were threatening him and protecting him at the same time.

I walked out of the hospital towards Edward's car, feeling better knowing that soon Charlie would be safe, surrounded by the Cullen's and Jacob. I just felt better period.

The crisp night air whipped past the car as I let the engine purr its way through town to Charlie's house. I ran straight up the steps and packed a few things of Charlie's, but not too many things. I couldn't deprive Alice the chance to shop some more. I groaned at the thought of Alice because I realized that I hadn't spoken to anyone since I've been in Forks.

I pulled out my phone and dialed her number, but since I didn't hear the first ring, when Alice picked up the phone and said my name, I could tell that she was expecting my call that exact moment. That's going to be really annoying.

"Bella, do you mind telling me why I can't see anything of our futures? What did you do?" Alice demanded and I could almost imagine seeing her tapping her foot mindlessly waiting for an answer.

"I'm sorry Alice, it was the only way I could get Charlie to move out east. Billy and Jacob Black are moving to New York with us. Charlie was being very stubborn." I explained.

"That's why you should have brought me with you. Ugh, fine I'll deal with it, but know this, I do not like this one bit." Before I had a chance to apologize again, Alice hung up the phone.

"Damn pixie." I called her phone again since I didn't get to even tell her what I needed to say to her.

"Sorry Bella. You need tickets for Billy and Jacob right? I'm on it. What about Charlie, or is he driving back with you?" Alice asked and I immediately remembered that I needed to return Edward's car to him. There was no way I would be able to drive the way I drive with Charlie in the car. He'd have another heart attack if he saw the speedometer creep past sixty, let alone more than double that.

"He's gonna have to go on the plane with the Blacks. Will you guys meet them at the airport? I'll have to give them a head start on the trip."

"Sure, no problem. I've booked their flight already they leave at three tomorrow afternoon, and after one stop in Detroit, they will arrive here at nine-forty-five at night. Perfect time-wise conditions on both ends."

"Alice thank you. Oh and can you try to see if there is any way to get Jacob in high school out there? It's sort of one of the conditions that Charlie was opposed to the move."

"Yeah, yeah. We're taking care of that now. Just hurry home because I miss my sister."

"K, thanks Alice. I'll see you soon." I closed the phone and continued rummaging through Charlie's things and through the bag in Edward's car.

I made a quick phone call to Jacob's house and told him of the flight arrangements before driving back to the hospital. I grabbed an outfit from the bag for my dad to wear and left Charlie's bag in the trunk, I ran into the tall but modest building, back to my dad's room.

"Ok dad, everything is taken care of, your flight is in a few hours." I announced and hid my smile behind a random magazine as Charlie rolled his eyes.

"Bella, I know you're happy with yourself, but you're forgetting that I'm still a patient." Charlie's smirk told me that he thought he had me at my own game. Silly human.

"Oh, you're absolutely right about that." I reached over Charlie's chest and pressed the little red call button. It was a little after ten o' clock, and I imagined that the shifts had just finished changing. A nurse promptly walked in, however, and hovered in the room.

"Is everything okay Mr. Swan?" She asked.

"It will be. Could you get my dad's doctor here? I have a few questions that I would like to ask him."

"Sure no problem." The plump nurse said with a smile and left the room just as quickly as she had come in. In one minute precisely, a handsome doctor with jet black hair and two day stubble walked through the door. He too had a smile on his face that was brilliant.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Kerr. You must be Bella. I'm your father's doctor for this evening. Well, I should say for the next half hour." His smile had me completely dazzled for a moment which put me at odds, because I had planned on doing the dazzling.

"What?" Both me and Charlie asked expressing a strong sense of surprise.

"Chief Swan has been released to the care of Dr. Cullen. It's a little unorthodox to be flying so close to such a scare but I don't believe you'll run into any problems. You've gotten plenty of rest and Dr. Cullen is an excellent doctor. We were fortunate to have him here as long as we did. Ms. Swan, I just need you to fill out some paperwork and then you'll be on your way."

I allowed Dr. Kerr to lead me to the nurse's station so I could fill out the necessary paperwork that was set aside for me. I had to remember to thank Alice for talking to the hospital for me. Though, I wanted to try my hand at dazzling a human, the way that Edward used to dazzle me.

"Alright pop, are you ready?" I asked when I entered his room. An orderly and the nurse from earlier was finishing helping him get dressed.

He glared at me as he wrestled the buttons of his shirt from the nurse. "I can dress myself thank you." The two turned around and walked out of the room, and I apologized to them as they passed me.

"Dad, you don't have to be such a grump. They're only doing their jobs."

"So tell me something. This sudden interest in going to school in New York, does this have anything to do with a certain Cullen?" Charlie always choose the wrong time to be observant.

"It has to do with all of them, actually. I've missed all of you terribly. I came here to Forks, because I was told that some strange man was my father, and in a desperate attempt to know who I really was I hopped on a plane. And I met you and Jacob and the Cullen's, and you all changed me. I went back to Italy with a different outlook, I was different. The thought of being away from any of you much longer seemed unbearable, and now I get to have everyone of you back in my life." It was the longest speech that I'd said to Charlie at once, but getting it off of my chest felt good.

"I was a phone call away Bells."

"It's not enough. You once complained that you just got me back, well when I was in school, I realized that in my eighteen years, I've only known my father for less than two. I just found you and I didn't want to let you go. And now, with us going to New York, I'll have everyone that I love together again. Call me selfish." I clasp my hands together and walked behind Charlie who the orderly must have helped him in to a wheelchair. "Come on let's get you to the airport. You're meeting up with Jacob and Billy."

"Wait you're not coming? What was the point of that speech, if you're not coming to New York with us?"

"Charlie, oops, I mean dad. Dad I have to return Edward's car back to him. It'll be easier to drive it cross country." I was pushing him through the hallway of the hospital towards the elevator. "Don't worry, Alice and Dr. Carlisle will meet you at the airport, and I'll be there in a day or so."

"A day! Bella, I know it takes longer than one day to drive across the country."

"Relax. I was only saying that I'll be there as soon as I can get there. Okay, Officer?"

We made our way to the car and I helped him in. We drove to the airport in near silence. Charlie only opened his mouth to complain about how fast I was driving, but I kept assuring him that the plane was going to leave without him and he'd have to drive with me if he missed his flight. Charlie quickly kept his mouth shut.

I parked in front of the airport, and was surprised to see Sam, Billy, and Jacob waiting for us.

"We already picked up the tickets, just waiting for this old man." Billy said as if he could read my mind.

"Who are you calling an old man? Don't forget you're older than me." Charlie was still in a foul mood, but it probably had more to do with the late hour. I got his bag out of the car and handed it to Jacob.

"Bella, you go ahead and start your drive. I'll wait here with them 'til their flight." Sam assured me with a nod.

"Dad, I'll see you when I get to New York. Billy, Jacob, I really appreciate you two going out there with us." I hugged the three of them, holding Charlie tighter to me, only just careful not to hold him too tight.

Jacob ushered Billy and Charlie away from the car and into the airport. "Sam I'm sorry I'm taking Jake from the pack. But I need to think of Charlie's protection. I can't risk the Volturi using him against me."

"Bella I understand. And if things get hairy, umm no pun intended, I can make a call and Erik and his brother will be here in less than a day."

"Wait Erik? You're still in contact with them?"

"Yeah. They stayed with us for a while, until the other brothers decided to go for revenge against your Italian buddies. Erik and Garrick both imprinted so that was another reason they refused to go. Out of respect for you, they thought that everyone should just leave well alone. Hey what happened to the other wolves?"

"They're dead. Thanks, Sam." I got into Edward's car and restarted the engine. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Sam waving. A unneeded sigh worked its way to the surface and I said goodbye to my father, for the moment.


	39. Chapter 37: Decision

"We have Charlie. The pup and his father are following us to this cute little place that Esme found. It's on the shore of a lake, so it'll be easy to entice Charlie to stay there if something comes up." Alice was whispering into her phone, but being a vampire I heard it as perfect as if she was standing right next to me.

"Good. I'm still in Forks. It's probably best that I hung out here for a day before heading back. I'd probably give Charlie another heart attack if he realized how long it doesn't take me to get there. Any idea what the Volturi are planning?"

"Good point. No, but I'm looking for any decisions by Aro, so we'll see something soon, I'm sure."

"I know it's a lot, but look at Caius' and Jane's as well. The hierarchy at the Volturi is very similar to the executive system of the United States. With Aro's mind out of commission, and Marcus on our side, Caius would be next in line, followed by Jane."

"Okay, got it. Hey, hurry back home, Edward's been moping and it's really depressing the rest of us. Especially Jasper."

Me and Alice shared the laugh that naturally accompanied with her statement.

"I'll make it there soon. And thank you for this Alice. I know it can't be easy with Jacob there."

"Pfsh, don't worry about it. You're the one that saved my family from certain death. And it wasn't the first time either. I'd say we were pretty even. Love you Bella."

"Love you too Alice." I ended the call and sat at the Cullen's house. I stayed away from Charlie's because I didn't want his neighbors to see me hanging out there. The last thing I needed was to accidentally step into a sliver of sunlight and someone see me. And I also didn't want to be cooped up because of the sun.

And besides, although the Aston Martin wasn't the flashiest car that the Cullen's owned, it was definitely the flashiest car that was being driven in the city limits of Forks. The manor provided the privacy that I craved and needed.

For a while, I tinkered with the keys on Edward's piano, but I never learned how to play, so it was just soft noise. My fingertips lingered on the ivory keys as I tried to listen to my memories of Edward playing his lullaby for me. Though the notes didn't match my memories, they still solicited a smile at the thought of Edward.

Next, I wandered into the garage. The Cullen's had way too much money. There were three cars there that they decided not to bring with them to New York. Typical. I was about to walk back out when I noticed something under a tarp that was too small for a car.

I was mesmerized by the all black machine that was before me. I had no idea of whose it was, but I wanted to drive it. I found the key rack by the garage door and saw the key I needed. Santiago taught me how to ride a motorcycle in Italy and I loved how the wind rushed past me. And now that I wasn't a fragile human, I didn't plan on wearing a helmet.

I heard the chirp of my phone alerting me of a text message, and saw one from Alice: Don't, u'll get stopped by the cops. Wait til 2morrow.

I growled softly my frustration. Screw this, I decided to just go ahead and drive back. I'll deal with Charlie's wrath later. I replaced the tarp over the motorcycle and started my drive back to New York, saying goodbye once and for all to Forks.

I made it to South Dakota before feeling the twinge of blood thirst and pulled over to hunt. There wasn't much for me to find save for a couple of coyotes. I was crazy bored with the return drive, it was completely different then the drive to Forks. In Forks, I had my father's safety as my one and only concern. But now I had no idea what I wanted as my focus. Of course top priority would still be Charlie, but the added stress of what to do with Edward was nagging at the back of my brain.

Twilight was dwindling when I turned into the Cullen's private driveway. I returned the car to its lonely spot in the garage and walked into the house. I inwardly laughed at the normalcy of not being greeted by a horde of vampires.

Jacob and Emmett were in the living room playing some type of video game that involved killing zombies. Billy was in the kitchen with Esme and Carlisle. And, Charlie was sitting at the table with Jasper playing a game of chess. Charlie had a perplexed look about him and I couldn't even attempt to contain my laughter as I took in the scene.

"Bella!" I didn't expect to see you so soon. Were you speeding?" Charlie asked sternly. He rose timidly from his chair, still feeling the effects of his heart attack. I feared that the flight may have exerted him much more than he could handle, but I knew Carlisle wouldn't have risked Charlie's health. Plus, Charlie had a little over a day to rest.

"I slept in the car when I got tired. But I also drank lots of coffee." I smiled hoping he wouldn't question me anymore.

"Coffee? You don't drink coffee." I peered around Charlie and found Jasper laughing into his hand and I let out a low growl.

"I did for this trip dad. Umm, Carlisle, Esme? Are you sure we can stay here for now?" I asked to keep the conversation from Charlie and to change the subject.

"Of course Bella. We already helped Billy and Jacob get settled into the house a few minutes away, and we have more than enough. We have plenty of room here. When you and Charlie are ready to move out, we'll help you. I know the realtors out here, and they're all so helpful. I got a real good deal for their house." Esme pointed towards Billy to show who she was referring to.

"Oh well, umm, what room will I be sleeping in? I'm a little tired from my drive and I'd like nothing more than to crash."

"I'll show you to your room." I heard the velvet voice from above me. I looked up the steps and found Edward standing in the third floor balcony that overlooked the hallway.

"Baby, you're not gonna eat? Esme here prepared this meal where the meat fell off the bones and the vegetables were so fresh." Charlie asked with concern.

"I grabbed something on the road." I still hadn't taken my eyes off of Edward and he was still looking at me as well. The electricity was flowing through an unseen circuit and the feel of its electrifying effects was near intoxicating. "I'm just really tired. Goodnight, everyone."

It was like i was mesmerized and I began taking my first steps towards Edward. I registered the smirks amongst Edward's siblings but I'd deal with that later. All I wanted in that moment was Edward. All of my past concerns and arguments that I stored in my head during my return to Forks, were all forgotten; and quite frankly I would be okay if I didn't ever recall them again. Edward was my mate and there was nothing that I would ever allow to come in between us again.

In a dazzled trance, I walked slowly up the staircase, anticipating his touch. I heard everyone shuffle out of the front foyer, and gave us what little privacy they could afford. With each step that I drew closer, his smile ascended to his ears.

"I've missed you." He pulled me to him the rest of the way once I hit the landing and whispered in a low voice into my ear. I allowed myself to melt into his arms and his cool breath wafted around me, sealing me to his body.

"I've missed you too. And as much as I want to stay with you Edward, could you please show me my room? I don't want Charlie to have another heart attack if he thought I was staying with you." I said with coy smile and his eyes twinkled as his own smile strained to get bigger. At that moment, I knew exactly how he felt.

"Sure Ms. Swan." I followed him to a room where he conveniently informed me that it was next to his. "You have your very own bathroom, and there are fresh towels laid out for you. If you need anything, Esme will be more than happy to help you." I was confused when he abruptly turned away from me and headed out of the room. "Goodnight, Bella."

"Hey Bells?" I smiled as I shook my head at Edward. I was so enamored with Edward, I hadn't heard Charlie approaching.

"Hey dad. This is awfully nice of the Cullen's isn't it? Which one is your room?" I asked casually as I looked through the dresser in my room for some decent pajamas to change into, but everything I found were lacy delicate things of fabric and I mentally cursed Alice for not having anything practical.

"My room is down the hall next to Carlisle's office. And yes this is nice of them, but why should they do this? I'm sure Carlisle doesn't go around offering room and board to all of his patients. Something isn't right."

"Dad, this isn't some conspiracy theory that you're working on. Long story short, I was new to Forks high school, and even though they'd been in the school for two years, I was still the first person to even attempt and maintain a friendship. And in return they've practically loved me as if I was a member of their family, and that includes you too." I walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"So no funny business or anything like that?" I laughed but inwardly cringed knowing that everyone in the house except for Billy could hear this conversation. My dad truly did trust the Cullen's, it was more just that he wanted nothing more than to protect his daughter. The only thing he didn't know was that I was here to protect him now.

"No funny business. Now get some rest. I'm sure the doctor doesn't want his patient running around here stressing over nonsense. And besides, that drive wore me out. I'm going to take a shower and go right to bed." I assured him

"Okay darling. Do these doors lock from the outside? I don't want anyone sneaking in here while my baby is trying to sleep." I heard Emmett and Jacob from the living room snickering loudly. Actually, they were a bit more boisterous than snickering.

"No. I'm sure everyone will be well behaved. Now go to bed." I practically pushed him out of the doorway so that I could close my door. To give him the satisfaction, I promptly locked the door and made a quick dash to ridiculously huge bathroom and turned on the shower. I smiled when I heard a sigh of relief from Charlie as he finally walked away from the door.

The water rushed over me and my hardened body and I took the time to allow the memories of washing my soft skin overtake me. I stayed in the shower and lathered my hair with my favorite shampoo and conditioner before deciding it was time to get out.

The towels that someone, probably Esme, laid out for me were a fluffy white and I had to wrap one around my body twice in order for it to stay around my body. I wrapped the other around my wet hair, on a mission to find those sweatpants or some shorts, anything other than the lingerie that Alice stocked my dresser with.

"It's still a little strange to me that I can hear you now when you sneak into my room." I said softly to Edward when I reentered the room. "Have you no decency to at least wait until I'm properly dressed?" I asked when I saw him seated on the long dais by the window.

"Would you believe me if I said that I couldn't help myself?" Edward playfully responded. He offered up his crooked smile and I wanted to melt. "Seriously though, I'm guessing we need to talk."

Edward said it more as a statement rather than asking, but no matter how he meant it, he was right.

"Are Jacob and Billy still here?" I asked as he handed me some basketball shorts and a t-shirt. They were definitely not something that Alice had stashed away in my room so I guessed that these were his items.

Edward shook his head solemnly. "No they left while you were in the shower. I'm surprised you didn't hear them." Edward stood up and walked over to me. His hand raised, and he drew a line with his fingers along my face. I could feel his cool breath as I held mine. The sensation of his touch was almost too much. I fussed with the knot that I tied my towel; I didn't want anything separating me and Edward again.

"Bella. Keep your towel on." He said it with a smile, but it was still rejection. "I'm not here to seduce you. I just want to talk."

I was completely confused and undaunted by the slap of rejection. I was practically throwing myself on him and he was pushing me away.

"Wait don't think I don't want to. I most definitely do. It's just I was brought up differently. From when I came from, making love only happened until after marriage." He looked down into my eyes and it seemed that there were volumes of conversation speaking to me.

"Edward are you saying you want to marry me?" I asked dismissively.

"I hadn't planned on asking you while you were in a towel, but yes. I would like to marry you. I love you and you're my soul mate. That I am sure. But I'm not formally asking you now, so I don't want an answer now. But the time will come and I just hope you feel the same."

A gasp escaped my lips as Edward remained in front of me. I couldn't even begin to know what to say.

I swallowed back the venom as I walked to the walk-in closet and changed in solitude and embarrassment. I unraveled the towel I wrapped around my hair and let my wet tresses hang to my shoulders. "So what do you want to talk about?" I asked stupidly.

"I've made mistakes, I've overreacted to things that shouldn't have been a big deal. I want another chance to make it right. I said it before you are my soul mate, and I know you can feel it too. I only want to be with you Bella. Please give me that chance."

"Is that all you wanted to say during this talk?" Edward looked nervous as he nodded and looked at me, wondering what I was going to say. I was confused why he would seem nervous. I was kissing him before I left to save my father and I was trying to tear the towel from around me only a few seconds ago.

"Well Edward, you can't ask for something that's already yours. My forgiveness, my love, it's always been yours, even when you thought I belonged to Felix. I'll always be yours." Edward's lips came crashing over mine and our mouths worked to entwine themselves with each other. The electricity growled around us, seemingly letting us fly. The urgency to be with Edward reared from my every fiber of being after being suppressed for so long. Our hands roamed the territory our hearts had longed claimed. And then suddenly Edward left me.

"What the—." I heard the soft knocking at my door and immediately a frustrated growl roared from me. I stalked over to the door and was shocked to see Charlie. "Dad? What are you doing?"

"I wanted to check on you. But your door was locked." Charlie looked behind me pitifully.

"Isn't that what you wanted, dad? Besides I was sleeping." I threw in a yawn for good measure.

"I know baby, but I miss looking in on you while you were sleeping."

I stood on my toes and gave Charlie a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight dad. Get some rest."

"Will do honey." He gave me a smile as he shuffled back to his room.

I leaned against the door after shutting it and my heart sank when I opened my eyes.

"Edward what's wrong?"

"We need to go downstairs. It's Alice." I looked into his perturbed eyes and I knew what he didn't want to say.

"The Volturi? Aro's made a decision." Edward's pinched nose confirmed it for me.

**A/N: This delay was unintentional. I uploaded it to the document manager and only because I came here to upload the next chapter did I notice that I never added this one to the story. So you guys will actually get two chapters today. Enjoy! **


	40. Chapter 38: Standoff

"Yeah. They'll be here tomorrow." He pulled me through the door swiftly and we proceeded to run at great speed down the staircase. Everyone was already in the living room when we arrived.

"I'm sorry Edward, he only just made the decision." Alice looked upset that she didn't see anything sooner.

"It's not your fault Alice." Edward reassured her.

"How could they mobilize so quickly? I thought for sure we had a few months for him to get everyone on board." Everyone looked at me like I was crazy.

"Months? Why would it have taken months for them to get here?" Emmett asked.

"Well in order to get everyone in the Volturi in one spot, it takes a minimum of two months to transport the entirety of the guard, including the wives." I informed the Cullen's of my experience. If they were going to arrive here by tomorrow that would mean Aro had this planned at least two months ago. Well before I even dreamed of contacting the Cullen's.

"That's because he's not bringing everyone." I looked behind me and Marcus had entered silently from the front door. "The likely scenario, Aro will want to keep this secret. Afterall, myself along with the Princess of the Volturi has defected from the guard. If it gets out to the rest of the vampire world that the Volturi can be defied by at least two of the most powerful bodies from within, there would be rather drastic and embarrassing results for Aro."

"Who's coming with him?" Emmett and Carlisle looked to Alice or Edward to answer the question they asked at the same time.

"I saw Aro and Caius, along with Jane, Alec, Demetri and Felix. The shield Renata was there too. I didn't notice anyone else in the vision." Alice looked to Edward to confirm her story and he nodded his head ever so slightly.

"That makes sense. With the exception of Renata, the last four were here when we officially declared ourselves enemies of the Volturi." Marcus commented.

"But," Emmett looked thoroughly confused. "How will coming with just that little bit give him the upperhand to overtake us? Bella pointed out the last time they couldn't touch us mentally. And Felix is the only one that is physical."

"It's true the guard hasn't been physical in a fight in quite some time, it doesn't mean they can't fight. Bella can tell you all about her training that she received in Volterra." Marcus answered for Emmett.

"So we can assume that Aro wants Bella." Carlisle spoke up again.

"It's a possibility. If he can manage to disable Bella, the rest of us will be unprotected. Jane and Alec alone will wreak havoc with us. Though he knows to get to Bella, he'll have to get through all of us." For the first time I noticed Marcus count himself amongst the Cullen's. I was very disheartened about the odds against us though.

"Alice can you see what their agenda is?" Carlisle looked at her but everyone could see that she was straining.

"No. It's like he hasn't made up his mind. I'm sorry." I felt bad for Alice. She always felt like a failure when her visions seemed useless.

"Do you think this is something Jacob should get involved in?" Jasper's long drawl was intoxicating.

"I brought him here to protect Charlie. He'll do just that." I retorted and was dangerously close to drawing out a growl from between my teeth.

"So is that the plan? We just wait?" Rosalie wasn't happy, and everyone could understand why. Waiting wasn't something any of us were used to. Rose sat on the corner of the table, seething in rage and I couldn't tell if it was because yet again I brought this on her family.

"Aro's plane lands at JFK at eight in the morning. It'll be raining so there wasn't any risk of exposure on their part. Even if we could come up with a plan, I just don't think there will be enough time to implement it. Bella? Why did I just lose your future?" Alice's voice was as puzzled as she looked and it was adorable.

"Sorry. I'm thinking about Jacob and my dad." I explained.

"Their flight lands in just under ten hours. I say we go hunting or do whatever until they arrive." Emmett cozied up to Rosalie who immediately leaned into her husband. The scowl that used to be permanent faded into a content smile that was only tainted by a little bit of fear.

"Hey where's the motorcycle? I asked Edward as he was leading me through the garage back up the stairs to my room. Once the Carlisle said the meeting was over, me and Edward ran out to do some hunting before Charlie woke up.

"Jasper gave it to Jacob. He saw him eyeing it." That was awfully nice of him I thought.

"Is this the end?" I asked when we got back in my room.

"It couldn't be. But if it is, we'll be together." Our fingers were entwined as one. We cuddled on my bed and any part of my body that could feel his, yearned for more. Edward swept the hair from my neck and began kissing it along with my shoulders and I held him close to me. "What are you thinking about love?"

"Jacob."

"Now that's the second time that I've kissed you and you were thinking of a different man. Something's wrong with that." Edward teased but there was complete truth in his statement.

"It's nothing against you, Edward. Jacob is my only hope of making sure that Charlie remains alive. I have to see him."

"We'll go in the morning, I promise." Edward assured me.

"No, Edward. I need to go now. Alone. Promise me if Charlie wakes up before I'm back, tell him I went for a walk."

"Bella!" I gave him a peck on the forehead and jumped out of my window and took off running. I was glad that I had changed my clothes and shoes prior to going hunting. I ran towards the general direction that I knew the Black's were now residing and prayed that Jacob's offensive smell would lure me in.

I continued to run even as I screamed in my mind to Jacob. _**'Jacob! Jacob! I need you to wake up right now. I'm coming for you, and I need your help!'**_

With each breath I took in, I could almost taste the rankness of a werewolf and I was pleased that it was getting stronger. I finally made it to the quaint house and Jacob was sitting on the porch, shirtless of course.

"Bella. You wanna tell me why you were screaming loudly in my ear in the middle of the night?" Jacob smiled at me and his muscles on his chest seemed to smile with him too.

"My Italian family are coming." I looked at my watch. It took about three and a half hours to get to Syracuse from JFK and the plane landed in four hours. "They'll be here in about seven. I plan to meet them in four."

"Wait you're doing this alone?"

"I have no choice Jacob. Aro wants the best parts of me. You, Charlie, Edward; Aro is a collector and he'll want all of you. I can't let that happen. Now I need you to ride me on your bike to just before the city. And then you'll run home. By the time Alice will be able to see what I'm about to do, it'll be too late for her to do anything to stop me."

"I can't do that Bella. I'm here to protect you not send you into the fire." Jacob was near shouting.

"Wrong. You're here to protect Charlie, and I'm telling you this is the only way." we continued our stare down for several minutes before I got tired of it. "You're wasting time Jacob. Now move!"

Jake rolled his eyes at me and finally relented and showed me around to the garage. It was a huge three door garage and the only thing in it was the motorcycle that I originally wanted to drive to forks.

"Will you even know how to drive this thing when it comes time?"

"How about you just get on and go Jake." I argued back.

Jacob's booming laughing resonated throughout the empty garage. "Just get your helmet on Bella."

"I don't need one. A vampire won't die from road rash." I reminded him.

"No, but I can get a ticket." Now it was my turn to relent and I stuffed my head into a helmet. Within thirty seconds, we were on our way.

The ride was quick and I kept pushing Jacob to make it faster. I sat impatiently behind Jacob without breathing. The stench was almost unbearable; but because it was Jake, it made it easier to deal with. We were about forty five minutes away from the airport when Jacob suddenly stopped.

"Alright, Bella. I can't go much further than here, I won't be able to run back. Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you?"

"You'll need to protect Charlie if something was to happen to me."

"But Bella, why can you see that if something was to happen to you, the Volturi wouldn't bother with Charlie? And if I'm there and something happens to you, something will happen to me. Alice will still get her warning and know to get Charlie to Billy. I'm staying with you, no matter what you say."

I smiled at his logic and I knew instantly that he was right. At least this way I could make sure that Edward and his family wouldn't interfere with me and Aro. I silently gave Jake a kiss on his cheek as he kicked the bike back into gear.

The business of JFK was immense and overwhelming. I looked at the screen and found that the plane that they rode in on arrived ten minutes early at gate 12. Jacob followed me through the crowd and I prayed that we weren't too late.

It seemed luck was in my favor when I saw them walking through.

_**"Aro, what happened to us that you would hate for me to be happy?"**_

Aro stopped in his tracks and began scanning his sightline for me. Caius and the rest of their minions followed suit and stopped, not knowing what they were looking for.

Jacob walked past me, seemingly like a random person that was waiting for someone on another plane. He stopped at a kiosk and picked up a car magazine and sat down at a table nearby to keep an eye on me.

I stepped forward, closer to Aro by a few steps.

"Ahhhhh, Bella, Bella. My daughter, it seems would like to talk." he spoke in the lowest tones that a vampire could hear. I seriously doubted that Jacob could even hear him. But I heard him just fine.

"I chose here because it's public, no risk of exposure." I said, matching his tone. "Now father, what happened? When did I become a pawn in your game?"

Aro scowled at me and my dead heart was honestly hurt that my relationship with Aro was shattered. Non-existent tears threatened to beat past my eyes. "You've always been a pawn, from the moment I laid eyes on you. I knew at some point a human would come in handy and you worked splendidly. You've singlehandedly weakened the Cullen clan with their love for you. Once you get rid of your human ties, you'll make an excellent vampire. A true Volturi princess."

"All my life I loved you Aro like my father, screw the uncle crap. You were my father, and you used me. For what? More power? Carlisle doesn't want it. He nor his family is a threat to you. I'm not a threat to you."

"Bella, there are feelings for you, don't get me wrong. And I would want nothing more than for everything to be as it was. You can have your old room back. All you have to do is convince certain members of that family to join us. And all will be well." I was sickened by how matter-of-factly Aro spoke. Even with the low tones his sickly sweet smile irked the hell out of me.

"You know I would never do that. Aro, all I'm asking is for peace. I love Edward he is my soul mate. And I cannot bear the thought that you won't allow us to be together on our terms."

"I gave you the alternative, you're the one who can't live with it." Aro said. I looked around and noticed some of the humans were starting to look our way. They were curious about the strange group that didn't move.

Suddenly, my phone rang in my pocket. I looked at it briefly, half expecting it to show that it was Edward; but I got a shock when my phone said that it was a call from Volterra.

"Hello?" I said into the receiver.

"Bella, put your uncle on the phone." Why was Sulpicia calling me?

"Wife?" Aro looked just as confused when I handed him the phone.

"Actually, Aro, it's Marcus. I think you really should have bothered to bring everyone with you. Right now I'm telling Sulpicia a delightful story about a man who killed his own sister, all in order to remain in control. Do you think it sounds interesting. Oh by the way, Chelsea is dead. You'll have to find someone else to bind the guard to your stupid cause.

A smile crept over my face. Oh my have the tables turned.


	41. Chapter 39: Is This the End?

"Would you like to know the rest of the story? It's all rather interesting you see. In a fit to keep control of some amazing plan, a young vampire killed his sister all so her mate could remain loyal to some cause of gaining power. Wouldn't you agree that it sounds intriguing?" I heard Marcus on the other end of the phone as if he was standing right beside me. Aro's voice stayed even, but I could tell he was ruffled by what he was hearing by his faltering smile, that he wasn't as collected as he tried to appear.

"How?" He simply said and I wasn't sure what he meant.

"I've always known, if you want the truth. I just couldn't do anything because of Chelsea. But then, our Bella came along and released me from that prison you built for me. I've waited and waited for an opportunity to present itself, and just as I counted on, your greed has done just that."

"What do you want?"

"You'll leave Bella, the Cullen's, and myself alone for all of your pathetic existence. No order from you, Caius or rogue guard member may lead to the direct or indirect harm of that family or anyone they protect. And I will grant you two things: I'll leave Sulpicia alive, a mercy that you did not afford me. And finally the entire vampire population will be kept in the dark in regards to the faux pas that you were about to commit. And order will be restored and you still have all of the power."

"And if I don't concede?" Aro's stern voice was alien to me. It was more than stern it was tense and strained, something I never heard in Aro's voice ever.

"One flick of my wrist, and Sulpicia will be no more dead than Didyme. What say you?"

"You do one thing to harm her, and I'll kill Bella." Aro threatened, refusing to be backed in a corner.

I could hear Marcus chuckling lightly through the phone. "You could try to make that idiotic move, I guarantee that Bella isn't there alone. And tell Demetri there's no use in scanning where the Cullen's are. Bella's shielding is rather superb." I hadn't even thought about blocking them until now, and I quickly sent my shield the hundred and fifty miles to Syracuse. I felt around for the Cullen's to enter my shield bubbles. "But I think you should just cut your losses."

"Will you be joining us in the Volturi once again, Brother?"

"Actually, I will, however, I must confess that before you start plotting my demise, the Cullen's have in their possession a few items that will ensure your fall Aro. There are actually three other safety features of my own that are in place that I could fall back on so that in the event something should happen to me, your entire empire will be in ruin."

"Fine Marcus. We will play this by your rules. We'll be home once the jet is refueled. Have Heidi have something ready for us by the time we get back." Aro huffed and growled as he ended the call and handed me my phone back. He stared me down and I stared him back. More and more people were being drawn to the scene that we were creating.

"Well uncle, I think for the sake of the humans that you so despise of, we should pretend that I'm saying farewell to all of you. They seem awfully interested in all of us." I took a tentative step closer to Aro who also moved hesitantly towards me as well. The hug was strained and non loving, completely different from the hugs we've given in the past. "Aro? Despite the fact that you were planning on killing the reason of my existence, I still love you. But I hope you don't expect me to ever forgive you."

"I wouldn't think of it dear." I was puzzled by his meaning but I didn't want to question it for too long. Uncle Marcus had saved all of us and there was no need to worry and look over our shoulders constantly. "Everyone say goodbye to Bella. Renata, tell the pilot we'll be leaving as soon as possible." Aro turned and waited for those who wished to say goodbye to do so. Which surprisingly, turned out to be Felix, Demetri, and Jane.

Jane practically ran towards me and steamrolled me into a hug. "I'll miss you little sister." I smiled at her usual greeting of me.

"I'm older than you are pipsqueak." I replied, knowing what she was going to say next.

"Only in human years." We both said at the same time. I gave her kiss on her forehead and she started to back away from me but I held her closer to me once more. "Maybe one day when everything calms down, I'll be able to visit. You know, we might have to wait about five centuries, but you never know." She laughed and I finally let her go.

"Okay Bella. You know I am not that easy on goodbyes so I am just going to say that I still think you're my little sister and I'm glad I don't have to kill you now." I raised my eyebrows at Demetri as he leaned in for a hug. He was right, he really wasn't good at goodbyes.

Felix gently pulled on my arm and led me away, a lot good that would do; vampires can hear everything. "Are you sure about this? I mean staying with Cullen." The name Cullen was profanity on Felix's tongue. "You sure you don't want to come back to the guard. To me?" Felix was pleading and my urge to keep everyone happy soared into overdrive.

I could see me and Felix together, for all of eternity. Leading the guard side by side. His brute and my shield, we'd make a formidable weapon. I did truly love him and I knew he loved me. A life with Felix would most definitely work. If I had never met Edward.

"I know what I'm about to say isn't what you want to hear. I'll always love you but Edward is my missing soul. I love him so much. After I was changed, I tried to force myself to forget Edward and to love only you, but it didn't work. It couldn't work. I loved you both, but he is the one. I never meant to hurt you and I know there are consequences for what I've done to you-."

"Bella, Bella. Don't worry about it. I understand, just do me a favor. If he hurts you, I want you on the first plane back to Volterra." Felix smiled weakly as if he knew that would never happen, and we both knew it. Felix then pressed his lips to mine, nearly rendering me powerless in his grip.

'_**Felix, if you don't let go of me. I will need to hurt you.' **_

"Sorry that was inappropriate of me. I guess this is goodbye?"

I raised myself onto my toes and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Goodbye for now. Maybe we'll visit someday." I tried to offer up a smile but it felt wrong. Besides Marcus, I was going to miss Felix the most.

I waved to Alec who barely looked at me and I was sad by how quickly he turned his back on me, but in his eyes, I had abandoned him first.

I stood and watch them retreat back to the plane.

"What was that all about?" Jacob said from right behind me once they were back on the plane and the gate was closed. His hand was on my shoulder and I peered up into his big brown eyes.

I took a huge sigh though I didn't need the sudden intake of air. "I don't even know, to be honest with you." I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Marcus' number back.

"Hello Bella." Me and Jacob began walking back to the parking lot where we left Jake's bike. The eyes that were once on me and the group of vampires were no longer interested in my goings.

"Marcus, what the hell was that? You're really staying in Volterra? How did you even get to Italy so fast?" I asked instantly.

"When Carlisle said that we should take the remaining time to hunt is when I left. I'm ensuring a future where you can remain happy at Edward's side, and in order for me to do so, I must stay in Volterra."

"And what about the Cullen's. What is it that you gave them that Aro is afraid will get out?"

I heard him chuckling, trying to hold it in. I'd never seen nor heard him so happy before and I tried to imagine him sitting in his throne laughing. "You see that's the funny thing, I didn't pass anything off to Carlisle. But there is something that Aro wants to keep hidden, or else he wouldn't have reacted the way he did. And my dear, I do intend on finding that out."

"But Marcus that doesn't make any sense, Aro is going to know by the time he gets home and touches you. He'll know that there isn't anything for the Cullen's to release in case something was to happen to you. This was a stupid plan. A very stupid plan!" I contemplated buying a ticket to Italy but I didn't have my passport. The only way I could get to Volterra was if I swam for it, but I wouldn't make it in time. Marcus was about to be on his own in the lion's den.

"Bella I can't divulge everything to you just now, but I will tell you this, everything else is in place in the event I reach my final death. I can promise you that, but I don't believe such drastic measures will need to be taken. However this ends up Bella, you will hear some news about the Volturi very soon. But listen Bella, whatever happens, know I've loved you as nothing but a daughter." I grabbed onto Jacob's arm for support. Marcus was saying his final goodbye to me as if he expected to not make it out alive. It wasn't very comforting to me, the way I'm sure he had expected it to.

We had reached the motorcycle and Jacob was on the seat, waiting for me to hop on behind him. But I hadn't even said anything to Marcus.

"Can this not be goodbye Marcus?"

"It has to do for now, love. I do hope that we'll see each other again." Then suddenly the line went dead. Marcus had a few hours to get whatever he needed in place before Aro arrived back to the castle.

"How fast can you get back to the manor? I need to see Carlisle." Jake didn't even answer me, he just put the bike in gear and rode off. From behind him, I couldn't see how fast he was going, but it was definitely faster than the drive to the airport.

When we finally reached the house, I could hear everyone inside making some sort of commotion.

"Where did you take her? What did you do to her?" I heard Edward growl too late jumping from the second floor window. He landed on top of Jacob and started punching him, but before he could even lay the first punch into Jake's face, I grabbed his fist and launched his body into the woods.

"Stop it Edward. Jacob didn't do anything to me except what I told him to do." I held out my hand and stood between him and Jacob who was still picking himself off of the ground.

"Kinky." Emmett smirked from the porch and I wished I was standing next to him so I could smack his head.

"I had Jake take me to the airport. I needed to speak to Aro alone. I thought I could make a deal."

"Oh honey, you didn't." Esme rushed past her children to stand before me. "Bella we should have made a solid front here. Together."

"I know, but I felt it was something that I needed to do." I explained about Aro's reaction when he saw me there alone and went into the phone calls from Marcus. They reacted pretty calmly when I told them about the conversation that Marcus had with Aro and showed some concern when I mentioned that he planned on staying in Volterra even after committing the treason against Aro.

"Well the next time you feel the need to confront homicidal vampires can you at least call me first or at least pick up the phone when I call? When Billy called here looking for Jacob it sent us into panic mode. The only way we knew that you were okay was by knowing that you were still with Jacob, and Alice still couldn't see you." Edward's nose was pinched.

"I don't get it. How was that helpful?" I looked between Alice, Edward, and Jacob.

"Because she can't see me and they know that I'd protect you at whatever cost, even if it's with my own life." Jacob finally spoke up.

"And so as long as you couldn't see me, you knew I was still alive? Some might think that seems a bit selfish." I teased, I wasn't really mad.

"Well some might say you were selfish for hogging all the glory at the airport. But let's not split hairs." Emmett stood on the porch and pouted. I stifled a laugh at how pitiful he looked.

"Mr. Emmett, are you upset that you didn't get to fight any vampires today?" I stalked over to him with my hands on my hips.

"Maybe. Why? You offering?" The smile grew bigger the closer I got to him.

"I'm not sure you want to do that Emmett. She's gonna beat you in arm wrestling thirty times in a row." Alice piped up and everyone seemed to whistle or yell out a catcall of some sort. Rose rolled her eyes at her husband's ability to act like an infant at the drop of a hat.

"Well then we'll just have to go till thirty one." Emmett hollered and got into place. "I'm ready!"

"Bells?" I heard Charlie come in through the front door shortly after Emmett and Rosalie ran upstairs. Emmett was still mad that after sixty four tries, he couldn't beat me in arm wrestling. He insisted that the next time, it was full on wrestling, and then unsubtly added that he wanted to practice with Rose first. We collectively groaned as the rest of us settled in to watch a movie. I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost eight p.m.

"Hey dad, we're all in here." I called out to him.

"Hey Bella. Everyone. Hey listen, I overheard you guys talking yesterday about the people from Italy coming by. Do you know if they made it okay?" We all looked puzzled because we didn't think that he would have been able to hear us. No one should have heard us.

"Ahh no, they called me early this morning and said they'd needed to postpone the visit. Why? What's up?"

"While I was out with Billy this morning there were reports all over the radio about plane crash over the Atlantic. They think the plane was from Italy but couldn't be sure because it wasn't on any airports manifest. It was just some phantom plane that shouldn't have been in the air. They couldn't even tell if it was leaving the states or arriving."

"Oh God, that sounds horrible. I guess I'll give my friends a call to make sure they weren't trying to surprise me. I'll call them in a bit though. It's a little after two in the morning for them. Why don't you get some rest dad. Hanging out with Billy all day has got to have you tired out." I exuded confidence to persuade him to do as I say. It was weird trying to dazzle my own father, but I really wanted him upstairs.

"Yeah, I already ate, so tell Esme that I hope she didn't cook a lot of food tonight. Though I'm sure we can give the leftovers to Billy and Jacob. Jacob eats like a horse."

"More like a wolf." Jasper said under his breath but Charlie didn't seem to hear him, I hoped. Alice elbowed him in his chest nevertheless.

"Ok, dad I'll let her know." While Charlie shuffled his way up the steps, I dug my cellphone out of my back pocket, and walked outside.

"I can make him lethargic if you want." Jasper offered and I nodded a thanks to him.

"We're making calls outside now? It's not like everyone in the house won't be able to hear you." Edward, Jasper and Alice followed me to the front of the house. The crickets were loud at this time of night but the second we walked outside, the woods quieted.

"Precisely. You heard Charlie, he heard us talking about my Italian "friends" remember. I need to talk to Marcus. Hell, I'd even settle for Aro if it meant getting some answers." I retorted.

Edward nodded and I went ahead and dialed the number to the castle.

"Bella. I would have thought you would have called a bit sooner. A plane crash is kind of major." Marcus' voice rang through my end of the phone without so much as a greeting.

"Marcus, what happened? Was that Aro's plane?"

"It was. But before you get upset, apparently you have your former guard members to thank. It would seem that once the plane took off, Aro started conspiring with Caius about killing us. All of us, including you and the gifted Cullen's. His exact words were, 'If I can't have them, Carlisle won't either.' Felix, Jane, Demetri, and Alec all over-powered Renata, Aro, and Caius easily. The only way to dispose of the bodies, was to dispose of the plane."

"And they swam to you." I chuckled lightly before continuing, "so, what about the Volturi? Who's going to lead them with you." I assumed that he was going to take Aro's position especially now that he didn't have to look over his shoulder.

"I wouldn't suppose you and Edward would mind joining me?" Marcus laughed quite loudly through the phone but I didn't have much time to react. "Jane and Demetri will sit on either side of me. But I must warn you, Sulpicia and Athendora are no longer with us. I had to kill them as well, but it was more out of mercy. They couldn't handle the responsibility to mourn for their mates." Marcus was truly sad about what was probably his first act as the ruler of the Volturi.

"So that's it? This is all over?"

Marcus took his time, pondering my question. "It's the end."

**A/N: Okay, I'm kind of tired from life right now, so I'll be taking a break from posting stories right now, but only for a couple of weeks. But don't despair, I'll be back with new chapters for the newest story, Celestial. Please review, and I'm sorry for all of the delays in between postings. Love you guys and REVIEW!**


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